Laos cave survivors help with plan to find last two missing men

So far, five men have been freed from the narrow, flooded cave but efforts are ongoing to locate two more. Laos cave survivors help with plan to find last two missing men More people rescued from flooded Laos cave Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Rescuers gather at the scene in Laos to discuss fresh rescue efforts More people rescued from flooded Laos cave on Saturday after more than a week Some of those freed from a flooded cave in Laos are helping in efforts to find the last two missing men trapped inside, rescuers have said. So far, five of the seven initially missing have been rescued but it is believed the remaining two men are trapped deeper inside the cave in a mountainous area of the central Xaysomboun province. The men, all local villagers, entered the narrow tunnels on 20 May in search of gold but flash floods stopped them from leaving. A rescuer told AFP on Sunday that several survivors were giving advice from their hospital room on how to find the remaining men, including descriptions of the deeper part of the cave. A Laotian rescue group said the men's information on the cave system - which extends deep underground and in some places measures around 50cm (20in) wide - was "considered substantial" and was being used in preparing a new search plan. It comes as reports said the four men who left the cave on Saturday managed to free themselves without the help of rescuers after the water level lowered. One unverified video posted to social media showed cheers from both rescuers and onlookers as the men emerged from the cave. It was unclear what caused the water to lower, but a Japanese rescue diver told the Associated Press on Sunday that flood water was being drained from the cave. Yoshitaka Isaji said the passage used in rescue efforts on Saturday was currently impassable because a drainage pump had broken, but repair efforts were ongoing. Later on Sunday, Laos's Rescue Volunteer for People group said on social media that search operations were suspended due to heavy rain causing water to flow down into the cave's entrance. They said efforts would continue on Monday. According to the Met Office forecast for nearby capital Vientiane, rain is unlikely in the region on Monday. Specialist divers from other countries including Thailand, Indonesia, France and Australia are also helping the searches. The first man was freed by rescuers on Friday. A group of people crowd around a man kneeling on the ground with an emergency blanket wrapped around him Four more men freed from flooded Laos cave after 10 days Two rescuers in dark blue diving gear, with one wearing a black helmet and the other a red one, hold the right arm of the rescued man, who is dark muddy clothes and has a headlight on. His left arm is being held by another rescuer to his left as they all emerge from the cave in darkness First of five men found alive in flooded Laos cave rescued Rescuers trying to fix an orange pump onto one of the cave's entrances Rescuers race to free seven people trapped in flooded Laos cave Two of the seven villagers who entered the narrow tunnels in search for gold on 20 May are still missing. The bedraggled man was led to safety by rescuers after nine days stranded in the cavern Rescuers in Laos have found five villagers alive inside a flooded cave after they were trapped for a week.