Five of the seven villagers were rescued by the Laotian organisation Rescue Volunteer from a flooded, remote cave 300 m (984ft) deep from the exit in Laos. (Photo Source: Reuters)
Five of the seven villagers were rescued by the Laotian organisation Rescue Volunteer from a flooded, remote cave 300 m (984ft) deep from the exit in Laos. The group of seven people belonged to the Xaysomboun, who ventured into the cave on Wednesday to search for gold deposits and wildlife, but were trapped in the cave. Persistent rains further escalated the situation, BBC reported.
How was the rescue operation conducted?
The Thai and international divers, including Paasi, a specialist rescue diver conducted the rescue operation. The team was recognised for its efforts to conduct a successful evacuation operation in Laos to save a young Thai football team trapped in a cave in 2018.
The team relentlessly navigated through pathways that were filled with water and sediments due to heavy and persistent rainfalls. The team faced difficulties navigating the entrance of the cave, which was about 300m deep. The pathways in the tunnels were 60 cm deep.
The team drafted a rescue and safety plan. Internet cables were installed in the caves, which helped monitor the situation and relay first-aid advice quickly.
On a Facebook post on Wednesday, Paasi commented that the environment was hostile, dangerous and isolated. He further added that the jungle track was 4km (2.5 miles) long.
“When inside the mine, you have to navigate hundreds of meters of constant restrictions, flood waters, collapse hazards, and high risk of contaminated air quality,” the Thai rescue team stated.
In an interview with the Guardian, Kengkard Bongkawong, the head of operations of the Metta Than Rescue group from Thailand, reported that rescue operations are ongoing for the two missing people from the seven. Health checkups and first aid were administered to the group found alive.
Kengkard had previously conducted an operation to rescue the 12 young footballers and their coach, who were trapped for two weeks in Thailand’s Chiang Rai province. His diving skills and athletic proficiency helped him conduct the Tham Luang cave operation. The rescue operation drew global attention, and many documentaries were made about it.
Major challenges faced by the group
Persistent rains complicated the navigation of the cave pathways. Pumping out water from the caves remained a hurdle. Retreat operations had to be conducted, which prevented rescue volunteers from entering the cave. “We are afraid that the water will flood into the cave, so we need to urgently retreat. We did our best,” Jakkrit Taengtang, a rescue technician for the Saithan Saphanboon Foundation, said in a Facebook post.
On Wednesday, oral rehydration was delivered by re-entering the cave. Kengkard and his team were positive that the men would be rescued. The positive aspect of the operation was that the walls had not collapsed due to heavy flooding. However, the passages were blocked due to flooding, and sand and gravel sediments further aggravated the situation.
Investigations are yet to be conducted into the reasons for a group being trapped. Speculations state that the group went inside the cave to search for gold ore as an artisanal activity, highlighting the possibilities of working for a mine company.
(The article is curated by Salonee Kulkarni, who is an intern with The Indian Express)
