The first of five men found alive after spending more than a week trapped inside a flooded cave in Laos, Southeast Asia, has been rescued by emergency teams.
The group had been hunting for gold when they were cut off inside a cavern in an isolated part of the country after flash floods hit on 20 May.
Five of the men were discovered alive on Wednesday when rescue divers located them huddled together about 300m (984ft) from the cave entrance. Two other men remain missing.
On Friday, one of the divers posted a photo on Facebook showing a man being dragged to safety. The Thai rescue team said: “The first victim has been successfully rescued out of the cave.”
The rescue effort in the remote mountain area of central Xaysomboun province has become a race against time, with worsening weather adding pressure on teams.
Thunderstorms were forecast for Friday evening, along with rain covering around 60% of the region.
Thai rescue team member Kengkard Bonggawong said on social media: “One person has got out of the cave safely.
“We will assess the other four and we will hunt for the other two tomorrow.”
Footage from Wednesday showed the five men exhausted, covered in mud, and complaining of chest pains and severe hunger after being reached by rescuers.
Initial plans focused on pumping floodwater out of the cave to clear an escape route, but the operation struggled to make progress.
Officials later considered an emergency alternative of teaching the trapped men how to scuba dive so they could swim out.
Authorities have not yet confirmed how the first man was brought to safety, saying details will be released later.
Metta Tham Kalasin Rescue workers continued pumping water from the cave system to higher ground in an effort to reduce flooding and reach the remaining survivors.
The incident has attracted international attention, with specialist divers from Thailand, Indonesia, France and Australia arriving to support the operation.
It has drawn comparisons to the 2018 cave rescue of a Thai youth football team, who were trapped for 18 days.
Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, who also took part in that rescue, is involved in the current operation. He told CBS News on Friday, external, “The environment is so hostile that anything can happen.”
