Rescuers race to save two people still trapped in cave in Laos

Rescuers face heavy rains, equipment failures in search for two people trapped in central Laos cave by flash floods.Heavy rains have threatened to delay the search for two people who remain missing in a flooded cave in Laos, after five others were rescued after being trapped underground for more than a week.Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, one of the first international rescuers to arrive at the site, told The Associated Press news agency that rains on Sunday had filled the cave up to the second chamber, preventing divers from entering until pumps can lower the water level.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Driver faces impaired driving charges after Lao New Year incidentlist 2 of 3Things are not going so well for Russialist 3 of 3Rescue teams celebrate as survivors found in Laos caveend of listA drainage pump also broke, making the situation even more difficult, said fellow diver Yoshitaka Isaji of Japan.Rescue teams from Laos and neighbouring Thailand have been working together over the past week to rescue the trapped villagers, alongside divers from countries including Finland, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, France and Australia.Seven people entered the cave in a remote mountainous area of central Xaysomboun province last week to look for valuable minerals such as gold, before being trapped by a flash flood that blocked their way out, according to local media reports.One other person escaped and alerted the authorities.A Laotian rescue group said on Sunday it had received “substantial” information on the cave system from the five men who were rescued earlier this week. “The hope is that today’s mission will locate both remaining victims,” the group wrote on social media.The rescued men were being treated at a local hospital and were doing well, Malaysian diver Lee Kian Lie, who is taking part in the operation, told AP.