Rescuers in 'race against time' to save 7 trapped villagers in flooded Laos cave

Rescuers are scrambling to save a group of villagers that are trapped inside a cave in the central Laotian province of Xaisomboun.

Seven people are thought to have entered the cave in question last Wednesday (May 20) to search for gold and wildlife, but were unable to get back out because of the rain and subsequent landslides.

The poor weather conditions have since continued, making things difficult for the rescuers trying to get to the group, who are believed to hail from the central province of Xaysomboun, per BBC News.

The rescue teams are in a race against time to get to them as the cave is continuing to flood.

It's believed that one person who went into the cave was able to escape. They then rushed to inform the authorities about those still trapped inside.

The Lao organisation Rescue Volunteer for People, which is working closely with the local authorities, posted on its Facebook page that Tuesday’s operation plan (May 26) included exploring air shafts above the cave in hopes of identifying possible access points, and locating the trapped people.

Rescuers from neighbouring Thailand also arrived at the site over the weekend to assist the operation.

It's thought that more than 100 people are now part of the rescue efforts, CNN reports, including 15 experienced divers and experts who helped in the well-documented 2018 cave rescue of a young soccer team in Thailand.

According to rescuers, divers have navigated about 100 meters into the flooded, narrow cave. They believe the villagers may be trapped about 30 meters beyond the furthest point currently accessible. They have been working to pump water out of the cave to aid the search efforts.

The team are trying to pump water out of the cave (MTK Command & Control Center/Facebook)

As to how the villagers have survived so far, they have reportedly found refuge on 'an elevated ledge inside the cave that benefits from continuous airflow'.

Thai diver Kengkad Bongkawong branded this as a 'the safest spot' for them and expressed his belief that they'll all survive the scary ordeal if they're located there.

"That’s why I believe, given the geography and the living conditions of the victims, if they are in that specific area, their chances of survival are very high – very high," Bongkawong (who also took part in the 2018 efforts to save the soccer team in who became trapped in Tham Luang Nang Non) told CNN.

While Bongkawong is hopeful that the seven people will survive, the conditions they're in remains unknown.

Reportedly rescuers have so far not detected any signs of life in the cave.