THAILAND CAVE RESCUE A SUCCESS
“Everyone is safe.’’ With those three words posted on Facebook the daring rescue mission to extricate 12 boys and their soccer coach from the treacherous confines of a flooded cave in Thailand came to a close on Tuesday — a grueling 18-day ordeal that claimed the life of an experienced diver and riveted people worldwide.
Thailand’s Navy SEALs, who were central to the rescue effort, celebrated the feat with a post that read: “All the thirteen Wild Boars are now out of the cave,’’ — a reference to the boys’ soccer team. “We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science, or what.’’
Eight of the boys were rescued by a team of Thai and international divers on Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday, the final four boys were brought out, along with their coach. Their rescue was followed a few hours later by the safe return of a medic and three SEAL divers who had stayed for days with the boys in their cramped refuge in the cave.
Cheers erupted from the dozens of volunteers and journalists awaiting news of whether the intricate and high-risk rescue mission had succeeded. Helicopters transporting the boys roared overhead. People on the street cheered and clapped when ambulances ferrying them on the last leg of their journey from the cave arrived at a hospital in Chiang Rai city.
Their joy and relief was
echoed around the globe by the multitude of people who had watched the long ordeal in widely broadcast newscasts.
Payap Maiming, who helped provide food and necessities to rescue workers and journalists, noted that fact.
“I’m happy for Thais all over the country,’’ he said. “And actually just everyone in the world because every news channel has presented this story and this is what we have been waiting for.’’
“It’s really a miracle,’’ Payap
said. “It’s hope and faith that has brought us this success.’’
Amporn Sriwichai, an aunt of rescued coach Ekkapol Chantawong, was ecstatic. “If I see him, I just want to hug him and tell him that I missed him very much,’’ she said.
The plight of the boys and their coach captivated much of the world — from the heartsinking news that they were missing, to the first flickering video of the huddle of anxious yet smiling boys when they were found by a pair of British
divers 10 days later. They were trapped in the sprawling Tham Luang cave on June 23, when it became flooded by monsoon rains as they were exploring it after soccer practice.
Each of the boys, ages 11 to 16 and with no diving experience, was guided out by a pair of divers in the three-day intricate and high-stakes operation. The route, in some places just a crawl space, had oxygen canisters positioned at regular intervals to refresh each team’s air supply.