May 27, 2026
BREAKING: They’re Alive! 5 of 7 Trapped Villagers Found In Cave
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RSS Feed Rescue teams have just located five of the trapped villagers in a flooded Laos cave. The group is described as alive and safe, sitting on an elevated ledge with flood waters beneath them. Rescuers are still searching for the missing 2 as they devise their plan to extract the group from the long, narrow and treacherous tunnel that leads out of the cave.
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey, folks, it is Wednesday, May twenty seventh, and a breaking news update. Five miracles down and two to go. Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Robes. Seven miners stuck for at least a week. They now know they have found five alive.
00:00:22
Speaker 2: It's remarkable because they kept saying they believed that these villagers miners were alive, but they didn't have any proof of life. There was zero communication, there was zero indication that they knew these men were alive. They only had the one person who would escape before the entrance to the cave that they entered a week ago. He was able to get out before it was blocked. He was able to get help and explain possibly where the rest of the group was. But that's all they had to go on, truly and hope.
00:01:00
Speaker 1: They had that, and they had hope, and they had some rescuers who had gone through this before when all looked hopeless and rescuing that soccer team. Some of those rescuers were a part of this, so hope was paramount. But Robes another you said it a number of times, who kept hearing this thing about this elevated ledge, an elevated ledge, and lo and behold, they seemed to know exactly what they were talking about because that's where they found it.
00:01:26
Speaker 3: This is remarkable.
00:01:27
Speaker 2: Yes, on an elevated ledge where they believed there was an air pocket. They believed there was a steady flow of air, and we learned that this group went in. We believe they were looking for gold, and this is something that a lot of villagers would do oftentimes, and we're even hearing reports that maybe they were working for or had at one point worked for, a gold mining company. So they did have some equipment with them. They had headlamps, and we understood they did have supplies because they planned to be looking for gold for several days, so they had already planned to overnight in this cave system them, so they had some supplies with them and the hope was that they had enough to make it long enough for rescuers to reach them.
00:02:07
Speaker 1: So the very early on again about this cave in particular that they had been talking about from the very beginning, they kept using the phrase elevated ledge. There was an elevated ledge, and what they were able to again this was why they were holding on to hope, was because they thought this area, this elevated ledge that they spoke of it as elevated, yes, and that a lot of floodwaters are down there, so it might have given them a spot that they could hang. Secondly, this particular spot had some air pockets, had some openings that did allow some fresh air to get in there. So they thought that if these folks were there in that spot this elevated ledge, and they could get to that, that maybe they would be alive. And that is precisely what happened. They found them there, and there are images that have come out that are pretty remarkable to sea ropes, but they are there, several of them, five of them sitting on a stone, sitting on rock, with nothing but water around them, nowhere to go. But that is where they found them, holding on.
00:03:04
Speaker 2: Can you imagine we talked about they were in complete darkness, They didn't know what was happening, they didn't know how soon they'd be rescued. I mean, I just can't imagine even the mental aspect of surviving those seven They were in day eight, I believe, seven days of the unknown and just worrying, waiting, hoping. That had to be unbelievable. And so when those rescuers came out of the cave. They said that they were shaking. I'm still shaking. Our team made it happen. That was one of the quotes from one of the rescuers, And that is just remarkable, because what these rescuers went through to find these five men is nothing short of remarkable, and we.
00:03:50
Speaker 1: Do have to mention and we should now even though this is a cause and a time for celebration. Again, as we're recording this, we're just getting word a matter of minutes ago that this is taking place, so we wanted to hop on and give the update. But there are still two missing. They don't know where those two are right now and haven't gotten worried about the next spot to look or what their I guess, level of hope robes that those two can still be found alive. Don't know how they got separated from the group or anything else. So just still want to mention even though this is pretty incredible. Right now, they still do have two missing, but you're mentioning their robes. This is impossible. Just getting two the damn cave in the first place is treacherous.
00:04:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a two and a half mile hike that's described as steep, rocky and dangerous. So just getting to that cave entrance is a feat in and of itself, and then to go into this elaborate cave system is nothing short of dangerous. And this is the rainy season, torrential rains. It was floodwaters. They came rushing into this cave system. It created a landslide which blocked the entrance that these villagers went into, so they could not go out the way they came in. And yes, with those raging floodwaters, the operation, the rescue operation had to be stopped multiple times because it was just too dangerous for these rescuers. And these are highly trained individuals to try and find these villagers. They had to go through and we've talked about this on eleven hundred foot tunnel with in some places twenty inch openings. I mean, I'm just trying to get my head around that's less than two feet, significantly less than two feet. Just do that with a measuring stick. And imagine having to go into this tunnel like that with waters coming in, with rain coming in. They're pumping out the water twenty four hours a day to make it even accessible for rescuers to find these trapped villagers. It's that takes so much courage and so much skill, but mostly I would think courage.
00:05:52
Speaker 1: Oh, so that's would you say, you're trying to get your head around this. They're trying to get their bodies through it, and they have their are their report. They're coming back reporting that the life saving sometimes the breathing apparatus, the things, the equipment they have on them, they have to strip down, take that stuff off, squeeze their bodies through these little openings, and then try to pull the equipment back through. This is terrifying. Robes. Forget the strength they might take and the skill, and we've trained mentally this will mess you up, and these guys are down there doing it, and so far it's been a success. Ropes.
00:06:32
Speaker 2: It's so impressive to see what they were doing for these past eight days to try and reach these miners, including setting up internet cables. This is one of the most remote areas in the world. Just to describe, I don't even know the nearest towns that folks had to travel to to even get to this place where they then had to trek into this area where this cave system is located. This is not an easily accessible area and just then they went to to get an internet cable to try and provide a live feed so that folks could see what was happening, and just to create a coordinated effort to try and find They were even looking for air pockets in other ways from an aerial standpoint to drop supplies. They were trying to just combat this from so many different angles. So it's remarkable that they were able to discover exactly where these.
00:07:23
Speaker 3: Five folks were.
00:07:24
Speaker 2: I'm thinking though, to think how everyone got separated. One person initially escaped was able to alert everyone else, Thank goodness. Imagine if that person hadn't gotten out before the entrance was blocked, would we even have known where these men were. And then to think that the seven down there somehow got separated. That's probably just how quickly this water and this landslide flooded in. They all just had to probably scatter and do what they could to survive in that moment.
00:07:50
Speaker 1: We haven't seen reports yet that the men never reported what might have happened to the other two. Maybe they found a spot in their hangings out just in a different section, or all the worst robes it could have gotten swept away. But still, no matter what it was, just a reason to celebrate. To see those five and those pictures robes that are coming out so far are just I mean to be donors with you. It's almost like, wow, we've seen this before, because we have seen those moments where the first pictures of video comes of folks that have been trapped for days or weeks and you see proof of life and it just gives a whole just a renewed hope and a renewed effort that wow, what we're doing, we're not doing in vain and this was successful. So that's the pictures are pretty incredible to see once.
00:08:38
Speaker 2: Again, you know, hope, hope is everything, and to see it actually come to fruition and to see this rescue and yes, we know that two people are still missing, but my goodness to know that at least five of them have been lifted out of this cave. And I love the fact that this was a multi nation operation, that folks from around the world who had already had experience and rescuing those members of the soccer team, those twelve boys and their soccer coach, that they were able to all come together. We so often are just describing just the divisiveness among our nations and around the world. It's so cool to see people coming together to risk their own lives to.
00:09:19
Speaker 3: Try and save others.
00:09:22
Speaker 2: We need stories like this to just you know, it's hope, yes, in a specific instance, but it's also a bigger sense of hope that we can find these moments to come together for a greater good. And that is exactly what happened in Laos today.
00:09:37
Speaker 1: It is rare the thing you described. I know we needed a win for humanity and this is one we desperately needed. So what now? Yes, the search continues for the other two, but there is another major effort about to take place. Yes, they found those five alive. How do you get them outta hear? All right? We continue here on Amy and TJ with the miracle that was hoped for. It was maybe the miracle that didn't have a high chance. Well just by nature, miracles are supposed to be a ranch equation. But it happened. It worked. Their efforts worked, and so far five of the seven miners, five of the seven people who went to that cave in Laos, have been found alive. After a week. The search continues for the other two. Robes. Now, yes, how do you get them out, But Robes, the race against time that we saw as the headline so many places before they found them might not work anymore, because, yes, you want to do it quickly. But Rose, they have a little dare I say, breathing room. They're there, we know they have air. Everybody seems to be in decent health. They can get food to them, they can get supplies, they can get things to them now to keep them going and row. This is the isn't this exactly what we've seen in so many of these rescues. The soccer team that you're laying miners, but laying miners were down there for months worth.
00:11:17
Speaker 3: They it was it was quite a while.
00:11:19
Speaker 2: I don't know exactly what the day count was, but it was longer than anyone would want to be down there.
00:11:24
Speaker 3: But my god, just that moment when you know they know where you are.
00:11:29
Speaker 2: You can hang on now because you know you are being rescued, and it's just to see these images, these smiling faces, these men with headlamps. One of them has the hands praying like thank you, thank you, thank you. I mean, just that moment of relief. We have been found, they know where we are and they're able to eventually get to us, and yes, they are going to be I think they're going to provide them with they said liquid and gel food, so the lower basically kind of I'm thinking sustenance that runners get when you're running a mirror and you've got those gel packs, just to give you some electrolytes to give you some nutrition. Because they have they've had, they had some food with them. Doubtful that they were planning to stay for eight full days down there in the mines, but they did have something with them. But now, yes, they're trying to come up with a plan to bring them up, and they say that will be challenging because the same narrow tunnel that the rescuers had to crawl through to find them, that will likely be the way those men will have to get out.
00:12:30
Speaker 1: But they have to do it safely, and they have to do it based on weather reports. They have to as this rainy season, they have to pick and choose which times they do go when it won't be rained. They're pumping water constantly, but that is going to be the challenge. But this is no doubt a success so far. They've been down there a week and just the reminder of the soccer team Thailand. They were down there for eighteen days. The Chilean miners rose, Holy hell, sixty nine days. It took them down.
00:13:00
Speaker 3: There that long, sixty nine days.
00:13:02
Speaker 1: Once they found them, it was almost like they set up a little community down there. They started sending food, people, sending notes back and forth. But again, once they found them alive, we can treat them, we can give them supplies, we can take our time and get them out safely. So that is where we are waiting for a word today about those other two robes.
00:13:19
Speaker 2: That would be just wonderful, Oh my, if they knew where everybody was, and then yes, the plan next to get them out. But look, I think at that point you'll wait as long as you need to wait to get out safely.
00:13:31
Speaker 3: You've been down there for that long.
00:13:33
Speaker 2: Let's go ahead and make sure that the way out is going to be the safe way out. And it's just so cool to hear about the rescue operations. CNN reporting that more than one hundred people they're joining that operation to try and make this all come to fruition. That's pretty cool to see how many people banded together to make this happen. And then also the reports of the relatives that had been waiting for word, cheering hearing that five of them had and found.
00:14:00
Speaker 3: Oh what a moment there in Laos.
00:14:02
Speaker 2: And certainly we can only hope that there'll be more good news coming in at least the next couple of hours or days on those remaining missing villagers down below. But we just wanted to hop on give you that very exciting and yes, miraculous update from Laos, and we will continue to keep our eye on the situation as always.
00:14:23
Speaker 3: But thank you for listening to us. Everyone. I'm Amy Roebuck alongside TJ. Holmes. We'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 1: Hey, folks, it is Wednesday, May twenty seventh, and a breaking news update. Five miracles down and two to go. Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Robes. Seven miners stuck for at least a week. They now know they have found five alive.
00:00:22
Speaker 2: It's remarkable because they kept saying they believed that these villagers miners were alive, but they didn't have any proof of life. There was zero communication, there was zero indication that they knew these men were alive. They only had the one person who would escape before the entrance to the cave that they entered a week ago. He was able to get out before it was blocked. He was able to get help and explain possibly where the rest of the group was. But that's all they had to go on, truly and hope.
00:01:00
Speaker 1: They had that, and they had hope, and they had some rescuers who had gone through this before when all looked hopeless and rescuing that soccer team. Some of those rescuers were a part of this, so hope was paramount. But Robes another you said it a number of times, who kept hearing this thing about this elevated ledge, an elevated ledge, and lo and behold, they seemed to know exactly what they were talking about because that's where they found it.
00:01:26
Speaker 3: This is remarkable.
00:01:27
Speaker 2: Yes, on an elevated ledge where they believed there was an air pocket. They believed there was a steady flow of air, and we learned that this group went in. We believe they were looking for gold, and this is something that a lot of villagers would do oftentimes, and we're even hearing reports that maybe they were working for or had at one point worked for, a gold mining company. So they did have some equipment with them. They had headlamps, and we understood they did have supplies because they planned to be looking for gold for several days, so they had already planned to overnight in this cave system them, so they had some supplies with them and the hope was that they had enough to make it long enough for rescuers to reach them.
00:02:07
Speaker 1: So the very early on again about this cave in particular that they had been talking about from the very beginning, they kept using the phrase elevated ledge. There was an elevated ledge, and what they were able to again this was why they were holding on to hope, was because they thought this area, this elevated ledge that they spoke of it as elevated, yes, and that a lot of floodwaters are down there, so it might have given them a spot that they could hang. Secondly, this particular spot had some air pockets, had some openings that did allow some fresh air to get in there. So they thought that if these folks were there in that spot this elevated ledge, and they could get to that, that maybe they would be alive. And that is precisely what happened. They found them there, and there are images that have come out that are pretty remarkable to sea ropes, but they are there, several of them, five of them sitting on a stone, sitting on rock, with nothing but water around them, nowhere to go. But that is where they found them, holding on.
00:03:04
Speaker 2: Can you imagine we talked about they were in complete darkness, They didn't know what was happening, they didn't know how soon they'd be rescued. I mean, I just can't imagine even the mental aspect of surviving those seven They were in day eight, I believe, seven days of the unknown and just worrying, waiting, hoping. That had to be unbelievable. And so when those rescuers came out of the cave. They said that they were shaking. I'm still shaking. Our team made it happen. That was one of the quotes from one of the rescuers, And that is just remarkable, because what these rescuers went through to find these five men is nothing short of remarkable, and we.
00:03:50
Speaker 1: Do have to mention and we should now even though this is a cause and a time for celebration. Again, as we're recording this, we're just getting word a matter of minutes ago that this is taking place, so we wanted to hop on and give the update. But there are still two missing. They don't know where those two are right now and haven't gotten worried about the next spot to look or what their I guess, level of hope robes that those two can still be found alive. Don't know how they got separated from the group or anything else. So just still want to mention even though this is pretty incredible. Right now, they still do have two missing, but you're mentioning their robes. This is impossible. Just getting two the damn cave in the first place is treacherous.
00:04:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a two and a half mile hike that's described as steep, rocky and dangerous. So just getting to that cave entrance is a feat in and of itself, and then to go into this elaborate cave system is nothing short of dangerous. And this is the rainy season, torrential rains. It was floodwaters. They came rushing into this cave system. It created a landslide which blocked the entrance that these villagers went into, so they could not go out the way they came in. And yes, with those raging floodwaters, the operation, the rescue operation had to be stopped multiple times because it was just too dangerous for these rescuers. And these are highly trained individuals to try and find these villagers. They had to go through and we've talked about this on eleven hundred foot tunnel with in some places twenty inch openings. I mean, I'm just trying to get my head around that's less than two feet, significantly less than two feet. Just do that with a measuring stick. And imagine having to go into this tunnel like that with waters coming in, with rain coming in. They're pumping out the water twenty four hours a day to make it even accessible for rescuers to find these trapped villagers. It's that takes so much courage and so much skill, but mostly I would think courage.
00:05:52
Speaker 1: Oh, so that's would you say, you're trying to get your head around this. They're trying to get their bodies through it, and they have their are their report. They're coming back reporting that the life saving sometimes the breathing apparatus, the things, the equipment they have on them, they have to strip down, take that stuff off, squeeze their bodies through these little openings, and then try to pull the equipment back through. This is terrifying. Robes. Forget the strength they might take and the skill, and we've trained mentally this will mess you up, and these guys are down there doing it, and so far it's been a success. Ropes.
00:06:32
Speaker 2: It's so impressive to see what they were doing for these past eight days to try and reach these miners, including setting up internet cables. This is one of the most remote areas in the world. Just to describe, I don't even know the nearest towns that folks had to travel to to even get to this place where they then had to trek into this area where this cave system is located. This is not an easily accessible area and just then they went to to get an internet cable to try and provide a live feed so that folks could see what was happening, and just to create a coordinated effort to try and find They were even looking for air pockets in other ways from an aerial standpoint to drop supplies. They were trying to just combat this from so many different angles. So it's remarkable that they were able to discover exactly where these.
00:07:23
Speaker 3: Five folks were.
00:07:24
Speaker 2: I'm thinking though, to think how everyone got separated. One person initially escaped was able to alert everyone else, Thank goodness. Imagine if that person hadn't gotten out before the entrance was blocked, would we even have known where these men were. And then to think that the seven down there somehow got separated. That's probably just how quickly this water and this landslide flooded in. They all just had to probably scatter and do what they could to survive in that moment.
00:07:50
Speaker 1: We haven't seen reports yet that the men never reported what might have happened to the other two. Maybe they found a spot in their hangings out just in a different section, or all the worst robes it could have gotten swept away. But still, no matter what it was, just a reason to celebrate. To see those five and those pictures robes that are coming out so far are just I mean to be donors with you. It's almost like, wow, we've seen this before, because we have seen those moments where the first pictures of video comes of folks that have been trapped for days or weeks and you see proof of life and it just gives a whole just a renewed hope and a renewed effort that wow, what we're doing, we're not doing in vain and this was successful. So that's the pictures are pretty incredible to see once.
00:08:38
Speaker 2: Again, you know, hope, hope is everything, and to see it actually come to fruition and to see this rescue and yes, we know that two people are still missing, but my goodness to know that at least five of them have been lifted out of this cave. And I love the fact that this was a multi nation operation, that folks from around the world who had already had experience and rescuing those members of the soccer team, those twelve boys and their soccer coach, that they were able to all come together. We so often are just describing just the divisiveness among our nations and around the world. It's so cool to see people coming together to risk their own lives to.
00:09:19
Speaker 3: Try and save others.
00:09:22
Speaker 2: We need stories like this to just you know, it's hope, yes, in a specific instance, but it's also a bigger sense of hope that we can find these moments to come together for a greater good. And that is exactly what happened in Laos today.
00:09:37
Speaker 1: It is rare the thing you described. I know we needed a win for humanity and this is one we desperately needed. So what now? Yes, the search continues for the other two, but there is another major effort about to take place. Yes, they found those five alive. How do you get them outta hear? All right? We continue here on Amy and TJ with the miracle that was hoped for. It was maybe the miracle that didn't have a high chance. Well just by nature, miracles are supposed to be a ranch equation. But it happened. It worked. Their efforts worked, and so far five of the seven miners, five of the seven people who went to that cave in Laos, have been found alive. After a week. The search continues for the other two. Robes. Now, yes, how do you get them out, But Robes, the race against time that we saw as the headline so many places before they found them might not work anymore, because, yes, you want to do it quickly. But Rose, they have a little dare I say, breathing room. They're there, we know they have air. Everybody seems to be in decent health. They can get food to them, they can get supplies, they can get things to them now to keep them going and row. This is the isn't this exactly what we've seen in so many of these rescues. The soccer team that you're laying miners, but laying miners were down there for months worth.
00:11:17
Speaker 3: They it was it was quite a while.
00:11:19
Speaker 2: I don't know exactly what the day count was, but it was longer than anyone would want to be down there.
00:11:24
Speaker 3: But my god, just that moment when you know they know where you are.
00:11:29
Speaker 2: You can hang on now because you know you are being rescued, and it's just to see these images, these smiling faces, these men with headlamps. One of them has the hands praying like thank you, thank you, thank you. I mean, just that moment of relief. We have been found, they know where we are and they're able to eventually get to us, and yes, they are going to be I think they're going to provide them with they said liquid and gel food, so the lower basically kind of I'm thinking sustenance that runners get when you're running a mirror and you've got those gel packs, just to give you some electrolytes to give you some nutrition. Because they have they've had, they had some food with them. Doubtful that they were planning to stay for eight full days down there in the mines, but they did have something with them. But now, yes, they're trying to come up with a plan to bring them up, and they say that will be challenging because the same narrow tunnel that the rescuers had to crawl through to find them, that will likely be the way those men will have to get out.
00:12:30
Speaker 1: But they have to do it safely, and they have to do it based on weather reports. They have to as this rainy season, they have to pick and choose which times they do go when it won't be rained. They're pumping water constantly, but that is going to be the challenge. But this is no doubt a success so far. They've been down there a week and just the reminder of the soccer team Thailand. They were down there for eighteen days. The Chilean miners rose, Holy hell, sixty nine days. It took them down.
00:13:00
Speaker 3: There that long, sixty nine days.
00:13:02
Speaker 1: Once they found them, it was almost like they set up a little community down there. They started sending food, people, sending notes back and forth. But again, once they found them alive, we can treat them, we can give them supplies, we can take our time and get them out safely. So that is where we are waiting for a word today about those other two robes.
00:13:19
Speaker 2: That would be just wonderful, Oh my, if they knew where everybody was, and then yes, the plan next to get them out. But look, I think at that point you'll wait as long as you need to wait to get out safely.
00:13:31
Speaker 3: You've been down there for that long.
00:13:33
Speaker 2: Let's go ahead and make sure that the way out is going to be the safe way out. And it's just so cool to hear about the rescue operations. CNN reporting that more than one hundred people they're joining that operation to try and make this all come to fruition. That's pretty cool to see how many people banded together to make this happen. And then also the reports of the relatives that had been waiting for word, cheering hearing that five of them had and found.
00:14:00
Speaker 3: Oh what a moment there in Laos.
00:14:02
Speaker 2: And certainly we can only hope that there'll be more good news coming in at least the next couple of hours or days on those remaining missing villagers down below. But we just wanted to hop on give you that very exciting and yes, miraculous update from Laos, and we will continue to keep our eye on the situation as always.
00:14:23
Speaker 3: But thank you for listening to us. Everyone. I'm Amy Roebuck alongside TJ. Holmes. We'll talk to you soon.