A race against time is unfolding in the mountains of central Laos, where seven people have been trapped inside a flooded cave for nearly a week. The group, villagers from a nearby community, entered the cave in Xaysomboun province — a remote, mountainous region northeast of the capital Vientiane — to hunt wildlife and search for gold. Heavy rainfall triggered landslides that blocked the cave entrance, leaving seven of the eight-strong group stranded inside. One member managed to escape and raised the alarm, also informing rescuers that a location deeper within the cave sits above water level — a detail that has given rescue teams cautious hope that the trapped men may still be alive.

The operation involves around 100 personnel, including soldiers, police, medical teams, and local volunteers. A team of 26 Thai rescue specialists arrived on Saturday, among them veterans of the 2018 Tham Luang rescue in Thailand's Chiang Rai province, where 12 young footballers and their coach were brought to safety after more than two weeks in a flooded cave. Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, a specialist based in the region who also worked on that operation, joined the effort on Monday alongside Thai diver Norrased Palasing. Chinese rescue workers are also reported to be on site.

Conditions inside the cave are gruelling. Rescuers must hike five kilometres over steep terrain just to reach the entrance, and the passageways within are extremely narrow — in places only 50 to 60 centimetres wide — forcing personnel to crawl and tilt sideways at 45-degree angles through sharp rock and muddy, sediment-filled water. Teams have managed to pump out some water but persistent rain continues to raise water levels and push sediment into the tunnels. On Sunday night, rescuers were forced to retreat after reaching a point just 40 metres from the area where the group is believed to be sheltering.