A British cave-rescue team has pulled five people out of a flooded cave system in Laos. The operation, conducted over three days, ended in the early hours of this morning. It was a grim scene. Locals had given up hope.
The team, veterans of the Tham Luang rescue in Thailand, flew out within 12 hours of the call. They knew the terrain. Limestone. Narrow passages. Rising water levels. It is their specialty.
One source described the mood in Vientiane as 'electric' when the last person was brought out. She was a 24-year-old French tourist. Exhausted, hypothermic, but alive.
This is the second time in six years that British cave divers have been called to Southeast Asia. Each time, they deliver. It raises the question: why is the UK so good at this? The answer is simple. Experience. The Mendip Hills, the Yorkshire Dales. We have the most complex cave systems in Europe. Divers learn young. They train in the dark.
The Foreign Office is briefing that this will 'further strengthen bilateral ties'. That is diplomatic speak for: 'We got your people out when no one else could.'
There is talk of a medal. Perhaps an MBE for the team leader. But those with knowledge of the rescue community say they do not want it. They just want to be left alone to do the next job.
One thing is certain. The phone will ring again. And they will answer.
