As divers continue their search for two missing villagers trapped inside a flooded Laos cave for 10 days, one of the five people who were initially located but still needed rescue teams to pull them out of the cave was freed on Friday.
Two of the rescue teams posted on their Facebook pages on Friday that one of the trapped victims had been rescued from the cave. The rescued man is okay, and will be transferred to a hospital, according to officials.
Rescuers evacuate the first of five villagers who had been trapped in a cave in Xaisomboun province, Laos, May 29, 2026.
Association Of Volunteers For Lao People via AP
His medical examination is still ongoing, officials said.
Six villagers remain in the cave as of Friday. Four of the men have been located but still need to be rescued. Two other villagers in the cave are still missing. Divers and rescue crews are working to pull everyone out to safety and locate those missing.
Laos and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation said that a group of villagers in the Xaisomboun province of central Laos went into the cave on May 19 to look for gold.
Rescue workers gathering in a flooded cave in Xaisomboun province, Laos, May 29, 2026.
Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin via AP
Three of the divers who arrived at the scene told ABC News that they hope they are thin enough to navigate the tight cave and will try to get the five found villagers out one by one.
Heavy rain triggered flash flooding and the exit to the cave was blocked, according to officials.
People who have been trapped in a flooded cave in Laos’ central Xaysomboun province, northeast of the capital Vientiane, May 28, 2026.
Benz Norrased Palasing/AFP via Getty Images
One of the villagers was able to make it out before the entrance was blocked and called for help, officials said.
On Wednesday, five of those villagers were located in the cave and in good health, but were still in the water and had limited room.
Rescuers work in a flooded cave in Xaisomboun province, Laos, May 29, 2026.
Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin via AP
Divers from around the world flew out to the site to help with the rescue efforts. Officials said the caves are so tight that they needed thin divers to successfully navigate the space.
One of the rescue groups involved in the operation posted on Facebook Friday that drills and water pumps were installed to drain the water in order to attempt the rescue.
Water is pumped from a flooded cave in Laos, May 29, 2026, where seven Laotians have been trapped for more than a week.
Rescue Volunteer for People/Facebook
They said that the water level inside had decreased significantly.
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