Four more men trapped in a flooded cave in Laos emerged on Saturday, bringing the total number brought to safety to five.

One person was successfully brought to the surface a day earlier, but two remain missing.

What we know about the rescue effort?

"A total of five people have now been rescued, while two remain missing," the Thailand Rescue Diver Facebook page said. The group, which has been helping with the rescue attempt, had posted earlier that the first person had been brought to safety.

The men apparently emerged from the cave without aid, although this was made possible by rescuers pumping out water. Pumping efforts on Friday were complicated by a morning rainstorm.

Divers discovered the five men on Wednesday some 300 metres (984 feet) from the cave mouth. While they waited, the trapped men were supplied with water, soft food, and foil blankets to keep them warm.

Seven people in total entered the cave last week in search of valuable minerals, but they were trapped inside by a flash flood that blocked their way out. Another villager who escaped in time managed to alert authorities that seven were left inside. 

A crew of experts assembled to help the men in what has been a very complex mission.

Rescue teams from Laos and neighboring Thailand, joined by Japanese and Malaysian colleagues, arrived at the site in a rugged area in the central province of Xaisomboun, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Vientiane.

Divers raced against the clock, facing dark and unfamiliar surroundings, making their way through twisting, narrow, flooded passages with jagged walls.

The rescue team found the men reportedly in good health but exhausted from dehydration and lack of food.

Hopes of finding the two other men are fading as rescue teams have already searched around 95% of the tunnel system.

"We don’t have many places left to search," Finnish cave diver Mikko Paasi told ThaiPBS World.

Edited by: Sean Sinico

Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the "star" or "preferred" button, so you'll always see our verified news first.