More than 100 people have been mobilized in a bid to rescue a man who has been trapped in a cave in the northern Vietnamese province of Lao Cai since last Saturday.

The victim, Giang Seo Lu, 56, and his brother, Giang Seo Dung, both residents of Man Than Commune, Si Ma Cai District, had gone into the cave early Saturday to pump water from the inside to their rice fields.

Shortly after he entered the cave, a heavy storm hit the area, causing a landslide which blocked the entrance with rocks and mud. 

Dung was able to escape in time, but Lu was not so fortunate.

Over 100 rescuers have joined the effort to save Lu, said Colonel Hoang Tien Binh, chief of police in Si Mai Cai District, adding that the cave’s only exit is completely blocked by mud and the current rainy weather is making the rescue more difficult.

Rescuers believe Lu is about 30 meters from the entrance in a seven-meter deep ravine.

As of Friday morning, the emergency team had still not made contact with him and his health condition remains unclear, the police official said.

“We nearly reached him on Tuesday,” he elaborated.

“But another downpour triggered a mudslide later that day, forcing us to restart the rescue.”

The Si Ma Cai People’s Committee called an urgent meeting on Wednesday to discuss the rescue effort, during which they declared that “we will mobilize high-capacity pumps, along with power generators, to suck water out of the cave.”

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