All 12 boys, football coach rescued from Thai cave
By Agencies
Published: Wed 11 Jul 2018, 7:59 AM
Last updated: Wed 11 Jul 2018, 8:37 AM
All 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped for more than two weeks deep inside a flood Thai cave have been rescued, a Thai navy SEAL unit said on Tuesday, a successful end to a perilous mission that has gripped the world.
"The 12 Wild Boars and coach have emerged from the cave and they are safe," the Thai navy SEAL unit said on its official Facebook page.
The "Wild Boars" soccer team and their coach got trapped on June 23 while exploring the cave complex in the northern province of Chiang Rai after soccer practice and a rainy season downpour flooded the tunnels.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces said that he was glad to hear that the rescue operations were successful.
British divers found the 13, hungry and huddled in darkness on a muddy bank in a partly flooded chamber several kilometres inside the complex, on Monday last week.
After pondering for days how to get the 13 out, a rescue operation was launched on Sunday when four of the boys were brought out, tethered to rescue divers.
Another four were rescued on Monday and the last four boys and the coach were brought out on Tuesday.
Celebrations will be tinged with sadness over the loss of a former Thai navy diver who died last Friday while on a re-supply mission inside the cave in support of the rescue.
The latest on the rescue of a youth soccer team from a flooded cave in Thailand (UAE time):4:00pm
Thailand's navy SEALs say the four boys and coach rescued on Tuesday, after other rescues in the previous two days, are all safe.
The SEALs say they're still waiting for a medic and three Navy SEALs who stayed with the boys to emerge from the cave
3:55pmThai Navy SEALs say all 12 boys and their coach rescued from cave, ending an ordeal that lasted more than 2 weeks.
3:52pmA Reuters witness saw four people being carried out of the Tham Luang cave on stretchers separately on Tuesday, the third day of the rescue operation.
2.18pmEleventh person seen carried out of Thai cave on stretcher, says Reuters witness 1.33pmTwo more boys are rescued from the cave. Now, two boys along with their football coach remain in the caves.
1:10pmAn ambulance has been seen leaving the site of the Thai cave where divers are carrying out what they hope is a final mission to bring out four boys and their soccer coach still trapped deep inside.
At least nine ambulances have been waiting at the site after the leader of the rescue operation said Tuesday's aim was to bring out all five as well as a medic and three Thai Navy SEALS, who have been with the trapped boys.
Officials have generally waited hours to confirm rescues. Tuesday's operation began just after 10am.
In the past two days, eight boys were rescued and are now in a hospital isolation ward while they are tested for any possible infections. Medical experts say they are in high spirits and generally healthy.
12:10pmPictures from Tuesday: The unprecedented mission to evacuate the "Wild Boar" football team and their coach from a flooded Thai cave entered its end game on Tuesday as rescuers said they will guide the remaining four boys and their coach to freedom.
12:00pmGraphic: The Thai cave complex where four boys and their soccer coach remain trapped is expansive, stretching about 10 km.
8:50am
The Thai official overseeing the effort to rescue members of a teen soccer team trapped in a flooded cave says a third rescue operation has begun Tuesday and aims to bring out the remaining four boys and their coach.
Chiang Rai Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn says the rescue mission began at 10.08am and involves 19 divers. He said a medic and three SEALS in the cave, who've been looking after those trapped, will also come out.
Narongsak said, "We expect that if there is no unusual condition ... the 4 boys, 1 coach, the doctor, and 3 SEALs who have been with the boys since first day will come out today."
The eight boys rescued after being trapped for more than two weeks were described as generally healthy.
7:30amA Thai public health official says the eight boys rescued from a flooded cave in northern Thailand are in "high spirits" and have strong immune systems because they are soccer players.
Jesada Chokdumrongsuk, deputy director-general of the Public Health Ministry, said Tuesday that the first four boys rescued, aged 12 to 16, are now able to eat normal food.
He said two of them possibly have a lung infection but all eight are generally "healthy and smiling."
He said, "the kids are footballers so they have high immune systems."
The second group of four rescued on Monday are aged 12 to 14.
Family members have seen at least some of the boys from behind a glass barrier.
Four boys and their soccer coach remain in the cave.
9amThree ambulances along with cars, hummers and soldiers have been seen entering the cave site where rescuers have been carrying out a high-stakes operation to bring out trapped members of a youth soccer team.
Heavy rains lashed the northern Thai region late Monday and a steady downpour has continued Tuesday.
After divers brought out four of the boys Monday evening, authorities indicated the rescue operation would continue for a third day. But they also warned heavy rain could hamper their efforts.
The rescue missions take nearly half a day to complete. Monday's mission took about nine hours, two fewer than Sunday's.
5amElon Musk says he has visited the flooded cave in northern Thailand where a youth soccer team became trapped and has left a mini-submarine there for future use.
The tech entrepreneur tweeted Tuesday morning he'd "Just returned from Cave 3," referring to the rescuers' command center inside the sprawling cave. He posted photos of the cave interior and a video showing people working their way through chest-high water.
Musk has offered a "kid-sized" submarine, named Wild Boar after the kids' soccer team, to help in the rescue operation. He posted videos of the sub being tested in a swimming pool in California with simulated narrow passages like the cave.
Divers have rescued eight of the boys. Four boys and the coach are still deep inside, and authorities have indicated they're continuing with their so-far successful effort to bring the boys out guided by experienced divers.