Four rescued from flooded Laos cave after horror 10 days trapped in 'tight chamber'

Four rescued from flooded Laos cave after horror 10 days trapped in 'tight chamber' Four more people have been successfully recovered from the flooded Laos cave in another 'miracle' rescue mission after spending 10 days trapped underground after a landslide Rescuers have pulled off another miracle rescue mission, having recovered a further four people from a cave that flooded in Laos 10 days ago.. Seven gold hunters are said to have become trapped in the 'tight chamber' underground after a rush of water caused a landslide to block off their route. On Friday (May 29), Thai rescuers pulled their first missing person from the cave and have made another breakthrough in recovering a further four less than 24 hours later, The Sun reports. All five are seeking medical assistance for health checks while the authorities continue the search for the remaining missing two. The five survivors have been identified by their first names as Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing and Laen. The major rescue operation is no small feat, with rescuers tasked with crawling and swimming through narrow passages to the gold panning site in search of survivors - and then to bring them back to the surface. Crews have been deployed from Laos, Thailand and joined by Japanese and Malaysian colleagues as well as Indonesian, French and Australian specialists. Some of the rescuers who took part in the historic 2018 cave rescue of 12 schoolboys and their football coach in northern Thailand have joined the team. The horror unfolded at the cave in the Xaisomboun province on May 19, with heavy rain triggering a flash flood and subsequent landslide. The seven villagers had entered the cave in search for gold and other valuable minerals. Yesterday, Lao and Thai rescue teams shared the celebratory footage of the first man being pulled from the cave entrance. At the time, Chakkit Taengtang of Sai Than Association, one of the Thai rescue teams, said: "Evacuations of the other four were suspended until tomorrow because they were not ready”. Crews were seen pumping water out of the cave passages on Friday, with the situation growing precarious as more rainstorm appeared to hinder their work. Today, another video showed the teams embracing and cheering after the further four were recovered. Expert diver Mikko Paasi told Australia's ABC News it was an "emotional moment". "We believed they were still alive, but the odds were quite low given everything," the Thai-based Finnish diver said. “Ascending to the final chamber where they were and seeing them sitting there all grey and all pale but in good spirits. “They were very happy, there were tears, big smiles from both sides. “The feeling of not giving up, and succeeding… now we are one step closer to getting them back out to their families and kids. It was overwhelming.” It is believed the five survivors have been kept alive by a pocket of continuous airflow in the 1,000-ft deep chamber.