One Laotian miner rescued from cave after nine days
May 29 (UPI) -- One Laotian miner has been pulled from a cave in central Laos after being trapped for nine days underground, a Laotian rescue organization said.
Rescue Volunteer for the People said on social media that a person was removed at 8:37 p.m. local time Friday. The organization did not name the person, and it wasn't clear how they brought him to safety.
Social media video showed a man looking disheveled and weak being propped up as he was brought up through a narrow crevice, NBC News reported. He was then taken to medical teams for evaluation and treatment.
Kengkard Bongkawong, president of the Thailand-based Metta Tham Association Rescue Unit, confirmed to NBC that one person had been rescued. He said there were four still inside and "are awaiting further assessment."
Seven gold miners have been trapped in the cave since May 19 in the Xaysomboun province of central Laos. Five of them have been found alive, but this is the first person to have been reported rescued.
Bongkawong said Friday that the search for the two missing men "will continue tomorrow."
The local men were on a hunting and gold prospecting trip when they were trapped in the cave by rising water after heavy rain, which also caused landslides that blocked the entrance.
Bongkawong said earlier this week that rescuers were challenged by a partly submerged 1,115-foot-long tunnel that is as narrow as 23 inches in some parts.
On Monday and Tuesday, the rescue teams pumped out as much water as possible and placed ropes inside for rescuers to follow after being forced back by rising water from Sunday's torrential rains.
Monsoon season creates a "ticking clock," lead diver Mikko Paasi told CBS. A trained team of divers takes about five hours to travel to the trapped men and back.
The Thai volunteers leading the search include a diver who participated in the 2018 rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a cave in northern Thailand.
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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 12:16 PM.