Trka s vremenom: Spasioci žure da stignu do meštana zarobljenih već nedelju dana u poplavljenoj peći

Locals entered a cave in central Laos' Saisomboon province last Wednesday in search of gold, but heavy rains caused flash floods that blocked the exit, the Associated Press reported, citing Lao and Thai rescue teams. Two Thai divers and a Finnish expert, who participated in the dramatic rescue of a young soccer team from a cave in Thailand in 2018, joined the risky operation on Monday, CNN writes. Locals are believed to be trapped deep inside the cave, on "a raised rock inside the cave through w

To reach them, rescuers will have to go through a 340-meter-long tunnel, said the Metta Tham Kalasin (MTK) Command and Control Center, one of the groups coordinating the rescue. Thai Rescue Teams Struggle to Reach Seven Trapped in Flooded Laos Cave as Rain Hampers Mission A Thai volunteer rescue team provided an update from the second day of a mission to help seven villagers trapped inside a flooded cave in Laos' Xaisomboun province after heavy rain... pic.twitter.com/FSejEFj407 Some parts of the tunnel are only 60 centimeters wide, so the rescuers will have to crawl to get closer to the trapped group, the center announced on Facebook. Photos show cables placed through narrow passages between rocks to guide rescuers to deeper parts of the cave. Helmets, breathing masks and gas detectors are being used to monitor oxygen levels and the presence of toxic gases in the narrow cave system, they added. Footage from inside the cave, posted on the Facebook page of a Thai rescuer, shows rescuers moving through dark cave halls almost completely filled with water. Efforts are underway to pump the water out of the tunnel to make access easier. Outside the cave, a rappelling team was sent into action to investigate possible routes to the trapped villagers through four openings spotted on the mountain above the cave, the group said. The rescue operation is taking place in a mountainous area near Long Tjeng in Saisomboon province, known for its wide valleys and rich mineral deposits. The authorities were informed about the captured villagers by a member of the group who managed to escape before the exit was blocked, AP reports citing Bunka Luanglat, the leader of the Lao organization "Voluntary Rescuers for the People". Locals often visit the area in search of gold deposits, despite repeated warnings from authorities about the danger, Luanglat said. CNN has reached out to the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.

Key points

• To reach them, rescuers will have to go through a 340-meter-long tunnel, said the Metta Tham Kalasin (MTK) Command and Control Center, one of the groups coordinating the rescue.
• Thai Rescue Teams Struggle to Reach Seven Trapped in Flooded Laos Cave as Rain Hampers Mission A Thai volunteer rescue team provided an update from the second day of a mission to help seven village…
• pic.twitter.com/FSejEFj407 Some parts of the tunnel are only 60 centimeters wide, so the rescuers will have to crawl to get closer to the trapped group, the center announced on Facebook.
• Photos show cables placed through narrow passages between rocks to guide rescuers to deeper parts of the cave.
• Helmets, breathing masks and gas detectors are being used to monitor oxygen levels and the presence of toxic gases in the narrow cave system, they added.