<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Five villagers stuck in a </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/floods" rel="" target="" title="flooded"><span>flooded</span></a><span> cave in central Laos for more than a week have been found alive, </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/rescue" rel="" target="" title="rescuers"><span>rescuers</span></a><span> say, but two others are missing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The villagers entered the cave in Xaisomboun province on May 19 but heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit and trapped seven people, according to Lao and </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/thailand" rel="" target="" title="Thai"><span>Thai</span></a><span> rescue teams involved in the operation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Bounkham Luanglath of Lao organisation Rescue Volunteer for People, which has been working closely with local authorities in the rescue efforts, told The Associated Press that five people were found safe and alive but two more were still missing and the search for them would continue.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/when-you-are-young-you-do-so-many-mistakes-father-of-isis-bride-says-she-made-a-mistake-as-second-cohort-touched-down-last-night/ef2e7855-ec92-493a-80d6-3e72f0568000"><strong><span>Dad of 'ISIS bride' breaks his silence</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I'm still shaking. Our team made it happen," he said in a voice message.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A video posted by a Thai rescue group involved in the mission appeared to show the moment divers emerged from the water and discovered the trapped villagers. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the footage, the villagers, each wearing a headlamp, were sitting on a rock surrounded by floodwater.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/laos-cave-rescue-villagers-missing-in-flooded-laos-cave-for-more-than-a-week-found-alive-rescuers/ecd90098-5c7a-4f27-8673-51e6bb12d58b" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Other videos showed rescuers inside and outside the cave cheering, jumping around and hugging each other in joy after the discovery.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Rescue workers from neighbouring Thailand arrived at the site over the weekend. Those helping out include divers from several nations who took part in the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/thai-cave-rescue-what-we-know-about-wild-boars-experience/e8b547f9-33ff-4c07-a27a-ed7936807a65" rel="" target="" title="complicated 2018 rescue in northern Thailand of 12 schoolboys and their football coach"><span>complicated 2018 rescue in northern Thailand of 12 schoolboys and their football coach</span></a><span> who were trapped for more than two weeks in a cave before being safely extricated.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The cave is located in a rugged, remote area in Xaisomboun province's Longcheng district, about 120 kilometres north of the capital, Vientiane. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/eagle-vale-police-say-innocent-family-wrongly-targeted-in-southwest-sydney-shooting-and-firebombing/c116e6c7-9441-4533-a81b-d8c81518f254"><strong><span>Family's terror as home attacked 'by mistake'</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/finance/australia-inflation-consumer-price-index-april-2026/c0beb0c1-47a9-4624-b392-6c718427449c" rel="" target="" title=""><strong><span>Aussies to get rate hike reprieve - but there's a catch</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Rescuers at the scene have detailed on social media the challenging mountainous terrain and heavy rain that has hampered their work.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Videos shared online by Thai rescuers showed that reaching the cave's entrance requires a steep hike on foot of roughly four kilometres. The entrance is also steep and rocky, and barely wide enough for a single person at a time to climb through.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There has been no official confirmation on why the villagers went into the cave. However, Bounkham has said that the cave was frequented by local residents looking for gold, even though authorities had repeatedly warned them against entering the cave because of safety concerns.</span></div></div>