Missing youth soccer team found alive in Thai cave

Asked whether the a recuse was possible today, Chiang Rai Deputy Governor Passakorn Boonyalak said the teams would like to if there an opportunity arises. “It depends on their strength and the method,” he said at a press conference.

Authorities are mulling using scuba equipment to drag the boys through the labyrinthine system, which includes very narrow passages submerged in opaque waters.

Thai authorities have drained 120 million liters of water from the cave system since June 30, in an attempt to lower the waters blocking the boys’ safe passage out, officials said.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said heavy rains were expected, but that he hoped the boys and their coach would be rescued “before the volume of the water becomes excessive.”

“However, (I think) it is safe. They will be able to survive. Medicine, food and drinking water have been resupplied to them,” the Prime Minister said in a Facebook live broadcast.

He said the news of the boys’ survival had brought “joy and happiness to people all over the nation,” as well as people following the events abroad. “I have to thank the foreigners who have helped. This work would not be accomplished without everybody’s effort.”

Rescuers are seen outside the cave Tuesday.

The initial relief that greeted the dramatic discovery of the trapped Thai soccer team has given way to concern, as rescuers begin the difficult task of attempting to free the 12 boys and their coach from deep inside the flooded cave network.

Video shared by the Thai Navy Seals shows the boys, who were found alive by British divers in the early hours of Monday evening, huddled together on a small patch of dry ground, surrounded by water in a cramped, pitch-black chamber.

But as the rescue operation enters into the next phase, options for rescuers appear limited. The area in which the group remains stranded is only accessible via a narrow flooded channel and attempts to pump water from the cave, or find a natural opening in the roof of the chamber have so far proved unsuccessful.

Read the full story here

Adisak Wongsukjan’s 14-year-old son Ekarat is one of the 12 young soccer players trapped in the cave. He told CNN he was happy to hear the cheering from the rescuers and is hopeful he will see his son alive.

Authorities said they’re trying to bring phone lines inside the cave so that the boys can speak with their parents.

Another family member told China’s CCTV and other reporters that he’s forever grateful to first responders.

“I don’t know what can I do to pay back the rescuers,” said the man, who did not give his name. All I can do is to say thank you so much to them.”

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha near the Tham Luang Nang Non in Chiang Rai on Friday.

Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was quoted as saying he was delighted that the 12 boys and their soccer coach were found alive.

Prayut also thanked first responders, the army, the general public and the media for working together.

CNN’s Anna Coren is on the ground in Chiang Rai and learned that after the 12 boys and their soccer coach were found, one of them asked a rescuer if they could get out today.

But it’s highly unlikely the 12 trapped children and their coach will leave the cave in the next 48 hours, as rescuers want to give them all medical assessments before moving ahead.

They haven’t had any food, but managed to stay hydrated by drinking rain water from the roof of the cave, which acts as sort of a natural filter and is significantly cleaner than the muddy pools lapping at their feet.

The British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC) said two of its volunteers deployed to the Tham Luang Nang Non Cave were the divers that found the group of soccer players and their coach deep in the cave.

The group was estimated to be about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) into the cave and 800 meters to 1 kilometer (0.5 to 0.6 miles) below the surface, the BCRC said.

However, the BCRC warned that if it continues to rain, things could get tricky.

“We believe that there is only a short break in the monsoon and all feasible options for the rescue of the boys are being considered,” the BCRC said in a news release.

“Although water levels have dropped, the diving conditions remain difficult and any attempt to dive the boys and their coach out will not be taken lightly because there are significant technical challenges and risks to consider. ”

The Thais are now leading the rescue efforts with help from nations around the world – including the United States, China and Australia – who are offering help.

Thai-language newspapers in Bangkok on Tuesday.

Tears of relief flowed heavily throughout Thailand as word quickly spread that divers had finally located the 12 young Thai soccer players and their coach following nine days of excruciating watching and waiting for word of their fate. 

Though the news of their survival broke at 10:30 p.m. Bangkok time, the emotional outpouring continued Tuesday morning.

On the streets of Bangkok, commuters were engrossed in their phones as normal, however, most were all focused on one story – the boys’ rescue. In particular, a clip showing English divers talking with the boys following their discovery began to circulate widely on social media, quickly going viral.

It’s been wall-to-wall coverage in Thailand since news of the boys’ situation first broke. Emotions ranged from hope to frustration to despair as heavy rains slowed search efforts.   

While the nation carried on as normal, thoughts of the boys and their coach were never far from people’s minds. Some social media users admitted to checking their Twitter feed multiple times per hour, hoping that good news would come.

The search for the 12 boys and their coach trapped in a cave in northern Thailand has gripped the country for the past nine days. It’s received wall-to-wall coverage in Thai media and dominated the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

When they were found, there was a collective sigh of relief online and at the scene, where workers and rescuers were seen patting each other on the back and high-fiving.

Thais shared their jubilation on Twitter, thanking the local and international teams who have been working hard to rescue the trapped group, using the hashtag #13ชีวิตรอดแล้ว (The 13 have survived).

Rescuers in Thailand said they are preparing plans to teach the youth soccer team how to dive so they get out of the cave.

Cave rescue expert Anmar Mirza told CNN diving with the 12 boys is the most dangerous option.

Mirza, a member of the US National Cave Rescue Commission, says the safest option would be to shelter in place and provide the boys with supplies until the water level goes down, or a new entrance is found.

Rescuers are pumping 1.6 million liters of water per hour out of the cave, CNN’s Mark Phillips reported.