Additional divers arriving in Laos to navigate tight caves in race to rescue 2 villagers
Five of the missing villagers were rescued this week.
Rescue crews who have been working non-stop to save two villagers still stranded in a Laos cave are waiting for additional divers before they attempt to navigate the tight spaces and find the pair.
Por Parasu Komaradat, the coordinator who has been organizing the rescue operations, told ABC News Thursday that six divers from other countries, including Japan and France, will be arriving Friday to assist in their efforts.
Although the search for the missing villagers will continue Thursday night, the coordinator said that a new strategic plan of action needs to be developed for the final steps because the caves are so narrow that they need “more thin” divers who are able to move from chamber to chamber.
Laos and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation said that a group of villagers in the Xaisomboun province of central Laos went into the cave May 19 to look for gold.
Heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit before one of the villagers escaped and alerted the authorities, according to the Associated Press.
On Wednesday, five villagers were located and rescued from the cave.
ABC News' Morgan Winsor and David Brennan contributed to this report.
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