Divers who gained fame in the 2018 rescue of a Thai youth football team are back in action, this time attempting to free seven people who have spent five days stuck in a flooded cave in central Laos. The group entered the Xaysomboun province cave on Wednesday with a two-part mission: hunt wildlife and look for gold. Because nothing says 'sound life choices' like combining spelunking with treasure hunting during rainy season.
Heavy rain triggered landslides that blocked the cave entrance, and Laos's communist government, which controls the media tightly, was reportedly unavailable for comment - perhaps busy drafting a statement about how this definitely isn't happening.
Footage from Thai volunteer rescue teams shows personnel crawling through dark, narrow passageways, some almost completely filled with muddy water. One tunnel leading in is a cozy 60cm tall - so you'd better leave your claustrophobia and any sense of personal space at the entrance.
Kengkard Bongkawong, head of operations for Thai rescue group Metta Tham Rescue and a Tham Luang veteran, described the challenge: "The route is not complicated but the problem is the space. It's so narrow that we have to crawl and tilt to pass through; also the rocks are really sharp." He added that rescuers haven't received any signs of life but believe the men are still alive, thanks to a survivor who escaped and reported a deeper spot above water level. "I'm confident that they are still alive because there is still air in the cave," Kengkard said.
Rescuers reached a point 40 metres from where the group might be sheltering but had to stop Sunday night because persistent rains brought sediment into the passageways, blocking access. "The gap is only 50cm wide, it's really small, so we need to clear out the sediment from this spot first. The gap is quite low to crawl through, and we have to tilt at a 45 degree angle," Kengkard reported.
Mikko Paasi, a Finnish diver who also helped in Tham Luang, and Thai diver Norrased Palasing joined the effort on Monday. Reaching the cave requires a 5km hike up mountainous terrain, so rescuers stayed overnight. Jakkrit Taengtang, a Thai rescue technician, noted on Facebook: "The difficulty of this operation depends on the rain… We had to retreat earlier because of the water level rising in the cave."
It's unclear whether the trapped group were artisanal gold panners or working for a mining company. Alluvial mining for gold, diamonds, and platinum has boomed in Laos, with the Stimson Center counting nearly 200 such mines opening between 2023 and 2025 - despite a government ban on new permits last year due to environmental concerns. So if you're going to get trapped in a cave, at least pick one with a solid track record of bureaucratic irony.