Knocking Sounds Deep in Flooded Laos Cave Spark Rescue Hope
Thai rescue chief Kengkaj Bongkawong told Vientiane Times that teams had pinpointed a vertical shaft believed to sit in close proximity to chambers four and five of the cave network — the sections where the two missing men are suspected to be sheltering.
"The sounds were heard from below and did not appear to be echoes, raising hopes that the trapped men may have responded to signals," Bongkawong said.
The breakthrough followed several days of satellite mapping and exhaustive ground surveys conducted across the surrounding terrain.
Bongkawong described a crucial shift in the nature of the signals between Monday and Tuesday.
"Yesterday, when knocks were sent down, there were response signals in the form of sounds resembling rock scraping, but today the signals had the character of knock responses — which have been preliminarily assessed as not being reflections or echoes of any kind," he said.
The multinational operation — drawing on Lao, Thai, and international specialists — has already secured the rescue of five villagers, who were reportedly trapped after venturing into the cave on May 20 in Xaysomboun province in search of gold ore, only for flash floods to seal the entrance behind them. Survivors recounted enduring days on scarce food and filtered cave water while awaiting rescue.
Thai cave-diving expert Noraset Palasingh said testimony gathered from the rescued men indicated the remaining two could still be alive, potentially sheltering in dry chambers located deeper within the cave system.
Rescue operations, which had been briefly suspended due to torrential rainfall, resumed Monday as teams pressed further into the cave's narrow, submerged passageways.
Over 100 rescue personnel continue to battle grueling conditions underground, as the families of the two missing men keep a tense and anxious vigil above.
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