GOLD hunters trapped inside a flooded cave in Laos have sent emotional messages to their families after more than a week fighting for survival in suffocating conditions.
The group of Lao nationals became trapped last week after entering a cave in Xaisomboun province in search of gold.
But disaster struck when torrential rain triggered a landslide, sealing their exit and turning the cave into a rising, water-filled trap.
Now, in a rare moment of hope, five of the seven men have been found alive after over a week underground – sparking emotional scenes among exhausted rescue teams.
Rescue teams are now scrambling to secure more oxygen tanks as conditions inside the cave worsen by the hour.
Heartbreaking footage filmed by a member of the rescue team captures the men speaking directly to their loved ones from deep inside the cave system.
One man said: “Mum, my wife, my child, don’t worry about me. They’ve reached us already.”
Kham added: “Tomorrow or the day after, I should be able to get out. My wife, stay strong and wait for me.”
Another villager, Ing, said: “Don’t worry mum. The rescue team has reached us now. We’re safe. I miss mum and dad so much.”
Mued said: “Mum and dad, I’m still strong, I’ll be able to go home soon. Love you mum and dad.”
In another clip, Laen can be heard saying: “I’ll come out and see you soon.”
And the final member of the five discovered said simply: “Don’t worry. I’m still strong.”
The men are believed to have survived thanks to a pocket of continuous airflow – a narrow lifeline in an otherwise suffocating labyrinth now filling with rising floodwater.
Two divers remain missing, with the remaining survivors still trapped deep inside the cave system as the rescue operation enters its most critical stage.
Kengkard Bongkawong, head of operations for Thailand’s Metta Tham Rescue, issued an urgent appeal for equipment.
“We need to borrow as many oxygen tanks as possible and want to set up an oxygen refilling station in front of the cave.”
Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, part of the rescue effort, warned the operation is far from straightforward, saying the extraction plan “ain’t going to be easy”.
Outside, relentless monsoon rain and brutal mountain terrain are hampering every stage of the rescue, with teams working around the clock to pump out water and rig ropes through the cave’s deadly passages.
Some tunnels narrow to just 23 inches wide, forcing rescuers to crawl through razor-sharp rock while carrying life-saving equipment – all as oxygen levels continue to drop.
Cave diving specialist Grant Pearce told the Guardian the trapped men are unlikely to have the experience needed to navigate such extreme conditions, meaning they may need to be physically guided out.
He warned panic could be fatal, saying those inside are “always on the edge of potentially panicking and making life difficult for the rescuer and themselves.”
Unlike open water diving, there is no escape route – no quick ascent if something goes wrong.
The mission has drawn comparisons to the 2018 Thai cave rescue, when 12 boys and their football coach were sedated and guided out through submerged tunnels.
But Pearce warned against assuming a repeat outcome, stressing every rescue is unique.
Bongkawong, who also worked on that historic operation, described the Laos cave as brutal and unforgiving.
“The route is not complicated but the problem is the space,” he said.
“It’s so narrow that we have to crawl and tilt to pass through. The rocks are really sharp.”
Paasi, a Thai-based Finnish diving instructor who also helped in the 2018 rescue, said the men are in surprisingly good condition.
Video from inside and outside the cave showed rescuers cheering, hugging and celebrating after the breakthrough discovery.
Volunteer Bounkham Luanglath confirmed five are safe and stable.
“I’m still shaking. Our team made it happen,” he said in a voice message.
Paasi also said the men are alive, healthy and in good spirits – but warned the hardest part is still to come.
The cave lies in a remote, mountainous area of Xaisomboun province, around 75 miles north of the capital Vientiane, making access extremely difficult.
Rescuers have so far reached around 330 feet into the cave, with the remaining trapped men believed to be a further 100 feet inside – separated by a waterlogged maze of rock and darkness.
The escape route, a 1,115-foot tunnel requiring divers to squeeze through tight gaps and navigate near-zero visibility, remains one of the most dangerous parts of the operation.
After more than a week underground, fears are growing as time runs out and conditions inside continue to deteriorate.
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