Seven villagers entered a cave in central Xaysomboun province, Laos, on May 20 while searching for gold and became trapped after heavy rain triggered flash flooding. Five of the seven were found alive on Wednesday, according to multiple corroborated reports. Two remain missing as of the latest updates. Thai rescue experts, who assisted in the 2018 cave rescue of a youth football team in Thailand, are participating in the operation. According to the Guardian, the first of the trapped villagers was rescued after a perilous operation involving divers crawling through narrow, flooded tunnels. The Hindu reported that divers have navigated approximately 100 metres into the cave and believe the trapped villagers are located about 30 metres beyond the furthest accessible point. Al Jazeera reported that rescuers are operating in conditions of heavy rain and equipment failures. The incident reflects increased gold prospecting due to rising metal prices, despite dangerous mining conditions.