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US joins rescue efforts for Thai soccer team that went missing 6 days ago

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A team of 30 individuals from the U.S. Pacific Command were dispatched to Thailand to help with the efforts to rescue a youth soccer team from a cave.

Twelve players between the ages 11 and 16 and their coach have been lost in Thailand’s Tham Luang Nang Non caves since Saturday.

After an intrasquad match last Saturday morning, the team entered the caves, reported the CBC. These types of excursions were not unusual for the team, the report said.

“The kids have been in the cave before, but they didn’t think that going in at this time would be that dangerous,” said Chote Narin, an officer at Mae Sai district police station, according to the report.

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Heavy rains on Saturday caused flooding in the cave system, which officials believed caused the team to seek higher ground further inside the roughly six-mile cave system. The caves are filled with narrow passageways, wide open spaces and changes in elevation, reported the Associated Press.

Dive teams have been sent in to find the boys and their coach. England has joined the U.S. in sending search-and-escue teams to assist.

“The United States team is now in Chiang Rai and delivering search-and-rescue experience and capacity to the already tremendous efforts underway by Thai authorities,” the embassy said, according to USA Today. “We hope the players and their coach will be brought home quickly and safely.”

Rescuers have found some of the boys’ belongings in the cave, raising hope that they pushed back further insider the caves to safety, reported the CBC. But rescue efforts are complicated.

“Divers are in dark areas that are not flat, and there’s mud and rocks everywhere. Therefore, for the SEAL team that’s there, when they dive, sometimes one tank can only go as far as 30 meters and they have to turn back,” Thai Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda said, according to the AP.

The caves are located in northern Thailand, near the Myanmar border.

Thai authorities have been trying to pump the water out to help rescue efforts, but continued rain has made it difficult. They are also searching for alternative entrances and are considering drilling, the AP reported.

However, three rescuers were electrocuted by electrical lines run into the caves to power the lights and pumps, CBS News reported. The injuries were minor, and the rescuers are in stable condition.

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Anmar Mirza, national coordinator of the National Cave Rescue Commission in the U.S. and editor of the book “Manual of U.S. Cave Rescue Techniques,” told the AP the boys could survive four to five days with no water and a month or more with water and food.

“The biggest concern is them getting desperate and trying to enter swift moving water,” Mirza said. Hypothermia should not be an issue as the cave is warm enough inside.

Parents have camped out outside the cave in the pouring rain, praying and waiting for signs of their children.

“There has to be faith. Faith makes everything a success,” Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told families waiting outside the cave, reported CBS. “Faith in the actions of officials. Faith in our children who are strong and vigorous. Everything will go back to normal.”

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Dave is a lifelong sports fan who has been writing for The Wildcard since 2017. He has been a writer for more than 20 years for a variety of publications.
Dave has been writing about sports for The Wildcard since 2017. He's been a reporter and editor for over 20 years, covering everything from sports to financial news. In addition to writing for The Wildcard, Dave has covered mutual funds for Pensions and Investments, meetings and conventions, money market funds, personal finance, associations, and he currently covers financial regulations and the energy sector for Macallan Communications. He has won awards for both news and sports reporting.
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