Laos cave survivors ate wooden gold-panning trays to stay alive

BANGKOK – Five Laotian workers found trapped inside a collapsed gold mine tunnel reportedly survived by eating wooden gold-panning trays while waiting for rescuers to reach them.

The discovery emerged during the ongoing rescue operation at the cave in Long Cheng district, in Laos’ Xaysomboun province, where seven workers were left trapped after part of the tunnel collapsed on May 20.

Thai and Laotian rescue teams have been working for several days to search the flooded tunnel and reach those stranded inside.

A sign of hope came when rescuers managed to locate five of the missing workers.

The first survivor, identified as 23-year-old Thao Mued, was brought out safely, bringing relief to the rescue teams and the workers’ families.

Four others who have been found remain inside the tunnel. Rescuers have not yet been able to move them out, as the team must first assess safety conditions and plan the next stage carefully.

Officials are preparing to discuss the rescue approach before attempting to bring the remaining survivors out as safely as possible. Two workers are still missing.

Wooden trays used to fight hunger

Kengkard Bongkawong, also known as Ajarn Ting Li, head of the Metta Tham Kalasin rescue team and one of the Thai rescuers involved in the mission, posted on Facebook about how the five workers had managed to survive underground.

He said the trapped workers had eaten two trays made from wood used for gold panning to keep themselves alive.

The account drew widespread attention online, with many social media users praising Thai rescuers and sending encouragement to the team as they continued the mission.

One online commenter also offered an explanation of why the wood may have been used in an emergency.

The comment said wooden gold-panning trays are typically made from soft, light wood because they must be held by hand for long periods.

After being soaked in water, the wood may become softer and retain high moisture.

The commenter suggested that, in an extreme emergency with no food available, the soft wood could help reduce hunger and provide minimal energy. This was presented as an online explanation rather than official medical advice.

Health and rescue experts generally warn that people should not treat such actions as safe or advisable outside an emergency survival situation.

The rescue operation remains focused on bringing the four found workers out safely and continuing the search for the two still unaccounted for. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK