Rescue efforts in Laos continue after Laotian and Thai teams reached villagers trapped in a flooded cave for about a week. Multiple outlets report that rescuers have found five people alive, with Wednesday afternoon described as the time the first group was confirmed. Footage referenced by one outlet shows rescuers navigating very tight gaps to reach the trapped villagers.

Several reports add that extraction is challenging because of flooding and narrow passages, requiring divers and other rescue workers to remove survivors from the cave. Al Jazeera reports that divers pull out four more villagers, following an earlier successful extraction on Friday. Other accounts focus on the overall count of survivors reached—5 of 7—and say rescuers remain at work to locate the remaining two people.

While the discovery of survivors brings relief, outlets also note that the extraction process is expected to be treacherous and slow, with rescuers describing ongoing difficulties despite finding those alive.