Overview
- Seven villagers entered a limestone cave to prospect for gold on May 20, flash flooding and landslides then blocked the entrance, five were found and freed and two remain unaccounted for.
- A multinational team of specialist cave divers and mapping and hydrology experts from countries including Thailand, Finland, Malaysia, Japan, France and Australia is leading the complex operation.
- Rescuers reported hearing a knocking response and rappelled a newly discovered vertical shaft that briefly raised hopes, but divers later said the shaft is largely filled with rockfall and gives no clear route down.
- Heavy monsoon rain, rising water and at least one broken drainage pump have forced temporary suspensions, shifted focus to alternative shafts and slowed planned dives and drainage work.
- Survivors have drawn maps and provided passage details from hospital beds to guide searches, and the incident underscores risks from informal gold prospecting and the limits of local equipment and access during monsoon season.