'Like diving in coffee': The toughest challenges facing the Laos cave rescue

An Australian diver is joining the mission — and says he's afraid of what's ahead.

The trapped men will need to be brought back through a hazardous cave system they may have little ability to navigate themselves. Source: AP / Benz Norrased Palasing Seascout Diving

IN BRIEF

• Australian cave diver Josh Richards compared conditions inside the cave to "diving in coffee".
• Rescuers are still searching for two missing people as concerns remain over oxygen and weather.

Five men trapped inside a flooded cave in Laos have been found alive after more than a week underground.

But rescuers have said getting them out safely could prove to be the most difficult stage of the operation, with narrow passageways, muddy floodwaters and zero visibility complicating efforts.

The men were located deep inside a cave in Laos's central Xaysomboun province after specialist divers spent days navigating flooded tunnels and clearing debris left by a landslide triggered by heavy rain.

The men had entered the cave system to mine for gold before the landslide.

Rescue teams are continuing to search for two others who remain unaccounted for inside the cave.

Australian cave diver Josh Richards is among those heading to Laos to assist with the rescue effort.

Speaking to 7News, Richards said he's "scared", describing the conditions facing teams on the ground as akin to "diving in coffee". He said the five men who have been found are exhausted and hungry but remain in relatively good spirits.

"Being included in this is really about having a strong connection with Mikko Paasi, the lead cave rescuer who's out in Laos right now, and being kind of a small, wiggly guy who squeezes into small spaces," he said.

Why is the rescue so difficult?

While the discovery of the men has reportedly provided a boost to rescuers, Richards warned extracting them would not be straightforward, citing extremely poor visibility and the narrow tunnels rescuers will need to navigate.

The challenge facing rescuers is reportedly going to be bringing the trapped men back through a hazardous cave system they may have little ability to navigate themselves.

Rescuers have been working for days to locate the stranded men. Source: AAP / AP / Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin

According to the ABC, rescue teams spent days battling floodwaters, landslide debris and tight cave restrictions before locating the group alive. Some passages are said to be as narrow as 60cm wide.

The five men were found in what rescuers have described as a terminal chamber, about 300m from the cave entrance.

In social media posts, Paasi — a Finnish diver who played a major role in the rescue of a youth soccer team from a Thai cave in 2018 — described the environment as "extremely remote and hostile", involving flooded passages, collapse hazards and concerns about air quality.

According to reports, just reaching the cave entrance has proved challenging, with rescuers required to complete a steep 4km trek through mountainous jungle terrain before entering the cave system.

Oxygen supply and weather concerns

Rescuers are also contending with the possibility of more rainfall and concerns about oxygen supplies.

According to reports, rescue organisers have appealed for additional oxygen tanks, with dozens expected to be required for both rescuers and those trapped inside the cave, with the physical and psychological condition of the stranded men also a major factor in determining how the rescue proceeds.

Unlike trained cave divers, the trapped men are unlikely to have experience navigating flooded passages in complete darkness. Any panic during the extraction could increase risks for both rescuers and those being rescued.

Echoes of Thailand's dramatic cave rescue

The operation has drawn comparisons to the dramatic 2018 rescue of 12 boys and their football coach from Thailand's Tham Luang cave system.

Several rescuers now working in Laos were also involved in that internationally-watched mission, including Paasi and members of Thai rescue teams assisting with the current operation.

The successful Thai rescue became one of the most complex cave extraction operations ever attempted, requiring specialist divers to guide the boys through flooded cave passages over several days.

But experts have cautioned that no two cave rescues are the same.

While some of the same personnel are involved, the strategy used in Laos will reportedly depend on factors including tunnel size, water levels, visibility and the condition of those trapped.

As one Thai rescue leader involved in the mission wrote on social media after the five men were found alive, "The job is not over yet."

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