An Australian diver who was part of the international rescue effort to save seven villagers trapped deep inside a flooded cave in Laos has described his shock when four of the men managed to climb out on their own after more than 10 days underground.
The rescue operation in the remote cave system in central Laos' Xaisomboun province had been one of the most challenging encounters for rescue teams. Late Friday night, specialist divers successfully guided the first miner to safety through submerged passages. Then, in a surprising turn on Saturday afternoon, four men emerged from the cave on their own after falling water levels allowed them to squeeze through previously flooded sections.
"Honestly, it was just shock. Pure shock to see them climb out of the cave themselves," Australian cave diver Josh Richards told Sunrise on Sunday morning. Richards said he had "literally just geared up" to enter the cave to bring food and medicine to the trapped men.
Pumping system changes led to escape
Richards explained that changes had been made to the pumping system that morning to reduce the water level, but while the pump was running, it was too dangerous for divers to be in the water. "Obviously that pump has drawn down enough water from that sump that the miners have decided they didn't want to be there anymore and they have managed to duck themselves out and get out through that sump that we were diving through," he said. Once out of the water, they crawled 350 meters to the cave entrance, with no one aware of their approach because no one was inside the cave.
The Australian described the men as "remarkable" and "resilient." However, less than an hour after their emergence, heavy rains returned, causing further flooding. The search for two other missing villagers continues.
Emotional scenes as men emerge
Video footage captured emotional moments as the exhausted miners emerged from the cave mouth one by one, greeted by cheers from rescuers and anxious family members. Some collapsed from exhaustion and relief before being rushed for medical treatment. The men were among seven villagers who had entered the cave searching for gold and valuable minerals before flash flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rain sealed off their escape routes on May 20 and 21.
Divers discovered five of the men alive on Wednesday after a week-long search. The rescue effort quickly became an international operation, drawing specialist cave divers from Thailand, Australia, Finland, Indonesia, and France. Among them was Finnish cave-diving veteran Mikko Paasi, who helped rescue a Thai youth football team trapped in a cave in 2018. He described the Laos cave as even more challenging due to its extreme narrowness and claustrophobic conditions.
"If it rains, you're going to drown there," Paasi warned before the successful rescue. Rescuers said some passages measured just 50 centimeters wide, forcing divers to squeeze through hundreds of meters of twisting tunnels, including flooded sections with limited visibility and restricted movement.
Rescue efforts and missing villagers
The successful extraction followed days of pumping water from the cave system. At one stage, rescuers considered teaching the trapped men how to scuba dive through the submerged tunnels as a last resort. Thai rescue teams said it took about 37 minutes to bring the first rescued miner through the flooded passages on Friday night. Photos later showed survivors wrapped in foil blankets, wearing oxygen masks, and receiving medical attention.
Attention has now turned to the fate of the two missing villagers. Lao authorities believe they may still be inside the cave system, but extensive searches have found neither survivors nor bodies. Earlier footage showed the rescue of the first man, named Mued, who emerged in soaking wet clothing and barefoot just after 8:37 p.m. local time. Mued appeared in good spirits but very weak, held up by rescuers before being wrapped in a space blanket and taken to hospital. "I'm all right. I'm still strong," Mued said. His father expressed "deepest gratitude" to the rescue team, saying, "Thank you so much for leaving your work behind and coming all this way to help us."
According to divers, Mued was maneuvered through a "tight spot" surrounded by sharp rocks in 22-degree Celsius waters. Finnish diver Mikko Paasi guided Mued, who was sandwiched between him and diver Norrased Palasing. Palasing taught the villagers how to correctly use the oxygen tank mouthpiece without ingesting water. Before the journey, Palasing said, "I let them meditate a little bit."
Behind the scenes of the tense rescue
Footage posted by Paasi's Thai diving company showed tense planning behind the rescue operation. Divers could be seen holding onto a rope as they practiced maneuvering through tight spaces with large oxygen tanks. In another clip, rescuers spoke to emotional family members as they grasped their hands in prayer. The company wrote, "Mikko... you did it again. There are no words to describe how proud we are of you. While most people run away from danger, you keep choosing to risk your own life to help others in need."
South Australian diver Josh Richards, 40, joined the effort after being invited on Thursday. Speaking to 7News before his departure, Richards said he was recruited because of his connection to lead cave rescuer Paasi and his physical attributes as a "small, wiggly guy who squeezes into small spaces." Richards said the group was "very tired, very hungry but generally in good spirits." He compared the upcoming rescue to "diving in coffee" due to poor visibility. Despite feeling "scared," Richards noted that local authorities were working hard to pump out water to reduce risk. "The cave is significantly smaller than the one that the soccer team was rescued from in Thailand, not just in length but actually in physical size," he said.
