Streamlly Original
Seven Men Trapped Underground
Reported by Alecia Venkataraman, Myles Machin, Michael Jorge
- Published: Jun 3, 2026, 6:41 PM EDT
- Updated: Jun 2, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
- Duration: 1 min
Seven men were trapped in the mazelike cave network in Xaisomboun province around May 20th, 2026 when heavy rain and flash flooding blocked the only entrance. An eighth member of the group escaped and alerted authorities.
Five were located alive and had been huddled on a rocky ledge in a chamber about 850 feet from the entrance. One was guided out by divers Friday, and four walked out on their own Saturday as water levels dropped, just as divers were preparing to retrieve them. They had been cut off underground for 11 days.
Attention has now turned to the final two, who are believed to have entered the cave separately. Rescuers are exploring a newly found vertical shaft, draining floodwater and blocking its source to reach a deeper chamber. Crews reported hearing a knocking sound from inside the system that they believe was a response to their own.
The operation has drawn divers from several countries. Storms continue to batter the jungle, hampering the search.
Credits
- Alecia VenkataramanReporter/Creative Director
- Myles MachinVideo Editor
- Michael JorgeProducer / Senior Video Editor
Transcript
Imagine this.
You're where 7 men went.
They went looking for gold and then got stuck.
It's this crack in a mountain.
In some places it's only 50 centimeters wide.
you can't see anything.
And they were eight hundred and fifty feet in.
And then when the water starts rising, you can't run, so you have to climb.
And they survived this for 11 days until the water went down.
5 of the 7 crawled all the way out on their own.
Eight hundred and fifty feet.
They're still looking for the last 2.