Miracle rescue for cave four

THAILAND CAVE RESCUE

THE first of the Thai boys who had been stuck in a cave for the past fortnight were rescued late last night, with hopes now high the entire group of 12 — and their coach — could survive.

The first two boys were out of the cave by 9pm last night, hours earlier than expected. By midnight Hobart time, local Thai media reported two more boys were out and others possibly close to leaving the cave. The conditions of all the boys were unknown last night, but initial reports said they were in relatively good health.

Rescuers smiled but did not cheer or clap as the boys emerged, their mood still “subdued” as they wait for the others, a source at the cave entrance said. Thirteen divers were involved in yesterday’s rescue mission.

THE world’s prayers were answered, and they were answered quicker than expected, as reports emerged late last night that as many as six of the boys had emerged from a cave in Thailand alive after a treacherous rescue.

Rain began to fall near the Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand as rescuers continued their work, sparking fears that authorities may have delayed the rescue for too long.

But shortly before 9pm Melbourne time, two of the boys who had been trapped in the cave with their teammates emerged, according to Reuters.

There was soon word that two more had been freed and another two were almost out as rescuers beat by several hours their estimates of how long the rescue would take.

Thai media described the miracle rescue with the headline “Hope is real”, labelling the mission a “triumph”.

Helicopters and ambulances had been on standby to take the boys to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital, 60km from the cave.

The first boy to be rescued was named by local media as Mongkol Boonpiam, 13.

“Two kids are out. They are currently at the field hospital near the cave,” Tossathep Boonthong, chief of Chiang Rai’s health department, told Reuters. “We are giving them a physical examination. They have not been moved to Chiang Rai hospital yet.”

The early success came after a nervous wait. Once the decision was made, there was no turning back.

Early talk that it could take months to extricate the boys from the cave was in the end just that — talk. The boys didn’t like the idea and their parents certainly didn’t.

And nor did the rescue mission leaders, knowing that if they didn’t move fast the boys could be left to drown as the tunnel prepares to fill with fast-running water, as it does at this time every year.

The choice between leaving matters to chance and taking action was made. Early yesterday, it was clear that something was afoot as ambulances began making their way to the staging ground outside the entrance of the cave, and anyone who was not an essential part of the rescue mission ordered to clear out.

By 10am, Narongsak Osottanakorn, the departing Governor of the Chiang Rai district who is running the mission, had the news the world has been waiting for: the extraction was under way.

Mr Narongsak holds masters degrees in engineering and geography, and is a mapping expert.

Though he is supposed to have left this district to take up a new post, he has been perfectly placed to pull together the multiple local and international agencies that have explored various strategies to get the 12 boys and their soccer coach safely out.

He would have preferred to pull the boys up through a shaft, rather than swimming them out. But yesterday he said no such passage had been found. The boys had to swim.

Mr Narongsak made clear yesterday, time was running out. “The new monsoon is coming,” he said.

The hundreds of Thai military and medics, along with foreign rescue experts, were told they had to move.

A team of 18 Thai and foreign divers entered the cave around 10am, with the blessings of a watching world.

Mr Narongsak knew the boys and their coach, who have shown resilience and fortitude throughout their ordeal, would readily agree to whatever they proposed.

They were desperate to get out. Butt more importantly, he needed the familmilies to give their eir consent. The e boys first entered the cave on June 23 and at least two families last night were breathing a sigh of relief, f, with hope reemaining for thethe rest of the team. .