Paris: The Prime Minister visited the historical exhibition celebrating 170 years of diplomatic relations between Thailand has dispatched cave diving specialists to assist in the ongoing rescue operation for seven Laotians trapped in a cave in Xaysomboun Province, which is now entering its sixth day. The rescue experts have reported that the cave's extremely narrow passages have made traditional crawling impossible, necessitating a low ground crawl while lying face down due to a severe lack of oxygen, prompting them to frequently exit and reevaluate their strategy.
According to Thai News Agency, the predicament began on May 20th when a group of eight villagers embarked on their usual expedition from a village roughly a kilometer away, aiming to mine for gold and hunt wild animals for food. They ventured into a cave that extends over 100 meters deep, marked by a constricted entrance and multiple chamber levels, complicating access significantly. The cave's internal structure includes several levels, each divided by 10-20 meters of challenging, rocky terrain.
A survivor from the group recounted reaching the fourth level of the cave, approximately 40-50 meters from the entry, when he noticed a sudden influx of water due to heavy rain. This prompted him to swim back to safety, after which he alerted local authorities about the seven remaining friends who were still trapped inside, unsure of how far they had progressed into the cave.
Yesterday, two renowned Thai cave diving experts, Mr. Nareset Palasingh and Mr. Mikko Paasi, who were part of the acclaimed rescue mission for the 13 Wild Boars football team at Tham Luang Khun Nam Nang Non cave, joined the current rescue efforts. Following their exploration of the collapsed mine around 9:30 PM yesterday, the Thailand Rescue Diver Facebook page provided a mission summary. The experts reported that inside the mine, the tunnels were so intermittently narrow that even knee crawling was not feasible. At one point, they attempted a dive through a very tight passage, using their legs to push through sand and rocks to reach a small cavern. They managed to penetrate 5 meters deep but were compelled to retreat due to inadequate oxygen levels, abandoning the effort in the mine's narrowest area.
Meanwhile, urgent logistical needs have surfaced, as highlighted by a post on the Facebook page "Pond - Chakrakrit Tangtang," which stressed the immediate requirement for a 3-inch submersible water pump with a 600-meter hose (capable of the highest pressure possible) and medium-sized oxygen tanks. These resources are critical due to the flooding within the cave and the resultant insufficient oxygen supply, exacerbated by water obstructing the cave's entrance.