Four more men freed from flooded Laos cave in hazardous rescue mission

Two still missing as divers make their way deeper into cave through muddy water and sharp rocks to find them

Four more miners who were trapped in a flooded cave in Laos for 10 days have been freed by divers, but two people are still missing as rescuers continue to crawl through narrow, deluged tunnels and sharp rocks to find them.

The first of the party of seven men was rescued on Friday in a perilous rescue mission which has required teams to drain water from the cave and navigate collapse hazards.

The four men who were extracted on Saturday were found crouched and huddled together on a rocky ledge inside a chamber about 300 metres (980ft) from the cave entrance on Wednesday, but rescuers were unable to immediately evacuate them.

The search for the remaining two missing people is continuing, with international diving teams – including some who worked on the dramatic rescue of a young Thai football team – crawling and twisting through muddy water in narrow passageways and poor visibility in an attempt to locate them.

It is thought the men entered the cave last week to look for valuable minerals such as gold ore before being trapped by flash flooding caused by heavy rain, which carried in sand and gravel, blocking a crucial exit.

Rescuers supplied the party of five they found on Wednesday with water, soft food and foil blankets to keep them warm while they remained inside the cave.

The first man to be rescued was captured on camera emerging from the cave on Friday, covered in mud and walking unsteadily. As rescuers cheered and helped him to move away from the cave entrance, he cried out in pain and one rescuer could be heard warning others to be careful because his hands were injured.