The families of two British men missing in a flooded cave system in Laos are clinging to hope as a British-led rescue team, aided by survivors who walked out days ago, pushes forward in a race against time and water.
James Cooper, 39, and Samuel White, 37, both seasoned cavers from Yorkshire, have been trapped since Tuesday when sudden monsoon rains flooded the Tham Nam cave in the remote forest of Vang Vieng. Their ordeal echoes the 2018 Thai cave rescue, but this time the world’s attention is narrower, the stakes just as high.
Rescuers confirmed on Saturday that four other members of the group, who had survived on limited food and clean water for four days, managed to navigate the rising waters and reach the surface. They are now providing critical intelligence to rescue teams about the cave’s layout and the condition of the trapped pair.
“They are exhausted but determined,” said Dr. Alice Morrison, a cave rescue expert with the British Cave Rescue Council who is leading the effort. “The survivors have given us a clear picture of the danger: the water is still rising, and time is not on our side.”
The rescue operation involves a 50-strong team including British, Australian, and Laotian specialists. They are using high-powered pumps to lower the water level and have established a communication line via a narrow shaft. Sonar scans suggest the missing men are in a small air pocket about 1.2km from the entrance.
News of the rescue has gripped the local community. In the nearby village of Ban Na, rice farmers have brought food and water to the rescue base. “They came here to see our beautiful caves,” said village head Somchai Phongsavanh. “Now we must do everything to bring them home.”
For the families back in Yorkshire, the wait is agonising. White’s sister, Emily, told reporters: “Sam is a fighter. He always said if anything happened in a cave, he’d stay calm and wait. We just want him and James back.”
The operation is expected to last several more days. Medics are on standby with stretchers and diving equipment. If the water continues to rise, the rescuers may have to attempt a dive extraction — a risky move that requires the victims to don full-face masks and be guided through submerged passages.
This is not just a story of adventure gone wrong. It is a testament to the resilience of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, and to the international solidarity that emerges when lives hang in the balance. In the heart of Laos, caving enthusiasts from northern England are learning what the Thai boys learned years ago: hope, stubborn and fragile, can survive in the dark.
