Boys soccer team found in cave week after disappearance, still not safe
Rescuers have found all 12 boys and their coach alive inside a partially flooded cave in northern Thailand on Monday, per an Associated Press report.
The boys are between the ages of 11 to 16, and the coach is 25.
The team had been missing for more than a week, prompting international concern and a massive search.
Chiang Rai provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said that all 13 people were in the process of being rescued, but made sure to note that the ordeal was not quite over.
“We found them safe. But the operation isn’t over,” Osatanakorn said in a nationwide broadcast.
The 13 people had been trapped since June 23. They disappeared after Tham Luang Nang Non cave was flooded.
“When the medics have evaluated the kids to see if their health is in good condition, we will care for them until they have enough strength to move by themselves, and then we will evaluate the situation on bringing them out again later,” Osatanakorn added.
Rescue divers were able to make a last push to find the lost team on Monday, pinpointing a general elevated location where they presumed the team to have taken shelter.
Despite the good news, cave rescues are hardly a given, as noted by Anmar Mirza, coordinator of the U.S. National Cave Rescue Commission in an email to the AP.
“Supplying them on site may face challenges depending on how difficult the dives are,” Mirza said. “Trying to take non-divers through a cave is one of the most dangerous situations possible, even if the dives are relatively easy. That also begets the question: If the dives are difficult then supply will be difficult, but the risk of trying to dive them out is also exponentially greater.”
Despite facing the difficult choice of deciding whether to send aid or try to retrieve the team, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was still grateful for the international support.
“The Royal Thai Government and the Thai people are grateful for this support and cooperation, and we all wish the team a safe and speedy recovery,” Chan-ocha said via statement.
Thai navy SEAL divers and international helpers have been aiding the search despite the risky conditions.
Dangerous rising waters had repeatedly forced divers to abandon their search.
It hasn’t been just divers working hard to rescue the soccer team. Other groups have been trying to pump as much water out of the cave as possible, while simultaneously diverting other water sources.
Volunteer groups have included an official Australian rescue team, a U.S. military team, a British team of cave experts and a team of Chinese livesaving responders.
“These are challenging conditions and there’s a lot of consideration for safety as well as, the environment outside is contributing to the environment inside,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Jessica Tait, part of a 30-member U.S. military team. Tait was referring to the outside rain.
“So I’d say, yeah, it’s an accurate statement that it’s challenging.”
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