A Finnish cave diver has described the "emotional" and "overwhelming" moment when he and fellow rescuers discovered five villagers alive inside a flooded gold mine in Laos. Seven villagers had been trapped for more than a week after entering a remote cave in Xaysomboun province in search of gold, only to see torrential rains flood the mine complex. On Wednesday, five people were found alive in a chamber over 300 metres from the cave's entrance. Two are still missing.
Rescue Mission Progress
Mikko Paasi, a Finnish cave diver participating in the rescue mission, recounted the discovery in an interview with ABC News. "That was an emotional moment [when we found them], like what are the chances? We believed they were still alive, but the odds were quite low given everything," he said. He added: "Ascending to the final chamber where they were and seeing them sitting there all grey and all pale but in good spirits. They were very happy, there were tears, big smiles from both sides. The feeling of not giving up, and succeeding … now we are one step closer to getting them back out to their families and kids. It was overwhelming."
Challenges Ahead
Despite the celebration at finding the villagers alive, rescuers are acutely aware of the difficulties in bringing the five out of the cave. Kengkard Bongkawong, who participated in the 2018 mission to save Thai footballers from a flooded cave, said the next step was to "escort all five people out of the cave," which would not be easy. Rescuers face an extremely narrow passage running several hundred metres, including a 27-metre section that is fully submerged. "The main dangers are running out of air and getting stuck, so we need a watertight safety and rescue backup plan ready to go instantly," Bongkawong wrote on Facebook. "We need to borrow as many oxygen tanks as possible and want to set up an oxygen refilling station in front of the cave."
Physical Demands on Rescuers
Paasi also highlighted the physical demands of the operation, noting that cave passages are extremely narrow, muddy, and partially flooded, forcing divers to squeeze through tight underwater gaps while carrying equipment in near-zero visibility. Rescuers need to be "slim," mentally tough, and ideally "under 60 to 70kgs" because larger divers could struggle to fit through some sections, where even breathing space is limited. "If claustrophobia had a form, this would be it," Paasi said. He described entering the cave as requiring one to "wriggle through like a worm" to reach the flooded chamber. "It's a constant, super tight restriction. I had to go through places where I had to exhale to wiggle my body through. Moving inside the tunnels – hundreds of metres of tunnels – is done by fingertips or toe-tips. The diving is the same … you take a tank in your hand and you reverse into a hole that you can barely fit your chest in. It's a really dangerous way of diving. If something happens, you are so deep in the ground, behind such long, tight tunnels, that you're pretty much on your own."
Background of the Incident
Locals have long been aware of the hazards of entering the abandoned mine, but official warnings have failed to deter people from seeking their fortune there. Bounkham Luanglath, a member of the Lao rescue team, said the site has long attracted visitors hoping to find precious metals. Eight villagers initially entered the abandoned gold mine, but one person escaped after noticing floodwaters rising quickly due to heavy rain, while the other seven became trapped. Their predicament was reported publicly nearly three days later. Australian diver Josh Richards is joining the rescue effort on Friday.
