Rescuers pulled four people from a flooded cave in Laos on Saturday (May 30), Thai volunteer rescuers said, hours after another man was brought out late on Friday (May 29).

The five are among seven Lao nationals who had entered the cave in Xaisomboun province to prospect for gold, but were trapped for more than a week when rising water blocked their exit. Two others remain missing.

Kengkard Bongkawong, a Thai cave diver involved in the mission, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that all four of the trapped people had emerged from the cave.

Video footage from the volunteers showed rescuers bringing four Laotian men out of the cave with flashlights strapped to their heads and with muddy clothes.

They had joyful expressions on their faces, and some were crying with relief.

The location was confirmed from the foliage, rocks and rescue equipment which matched other videos verified by Reuters and other material uploaded by other members of the rescue team to social media showing the operation. The clothes and hair of the rescue team matched other visuals uploaded to social media showing the same scene and archive imagery. The facial features and teeth of one the survivors matched previous videos of him inside the cave. The date the material was filmed was confirmed by Thai rescue volunteers.

The five rescued people were found by rescuers on Wednesday (May 27), but had remained trapped. Rescue officials said they would continue searching for the two missing people.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

XAISOMBOUN PROVINCE, LAOS (MAY 30, 2026) (ORIGINALLY SHOT IN PORTRAIT) (CHAKKRIT TAENGTANG - No resale / no archive / must on screen courtesy "Chakkrit Taengtang")

1. RESCUED MAN SUPPORTED BY VOLUNTEER EMERGING FROM CAVE / ANOTHER RESCUED MAN SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE / MAN BEING LED AWAY TO MEDICAL TENT

2. RELATIVE RUNNING OVER TO EMBRACE RESCUED MAN AND CRYING / RESCUERS ASKING PEOPLE TO REFRAIN FROM CROWDING OVER RESCUED MAN

3. RESCUED MEN BEING BROUGHT TO MEDICAL TENT

4. RESCUED MEN LYING INSIDE MEDICAL TENT AND RECEIVING CARE