Navy divers lead frantic search for boys in Thai cave
Soccer players, coach trapped since Saturday
MAE SAI, THAILAND • Military divers, two heatseeking drones and an underwater robot have all been deployed in the search for 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped in a flooded cave.
British caver Vern Unsworth, who is familiar with the five-kilometre-long Tham Luang cavern, also joined rescuers who have been trying to reach the group since Saturday. Officials said Tuesday they had found a previously undiscovered opening in a section of the cave that they hoped to airlift food and rescuers into.
“If we find them, the first thing is to provide first aid and food before thinking of how to bring them up,” said Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda.
“We will not stop, we will work 24 hours. We’re racing against time and we want them to be safe.”
Paojinda told reporters that navy SEAL divers leading the search are seriously handicapped by muddy water that has filled some chambers of the large cave to the ceilings. He said the divers can proceed only when enough water is pumped out so there is breathing space between the water and the ceiling. The divers will also soon start using special oxygen tanks that provide longer diving times, he said.
Anupong said the goal was to “reach the kids,” and that rescuers would be working night and day in the dark cave.
“The SEAL team will be working non-stop because it’s already dark here too,” he said. “So night and day doesn’t make a big difference. They’ll just need to rotate.”
The boys, aged between 11 and 16, are believed to have retreated into the back of the cave in northern Chiang Rai province after heavy monsoon rain fell and flooded the entrance.
As the team’s anxious parents gathered outside the cave, electricians worked through the night to provide light and ventilation for divers who are facing flood waters rising up to seven metres inside the underground complex.
“We hope this will provide lights for work and fans for ventilation for the SEAL team,” Chiang Rai Gov. Narongsak Osottanakorn said. “Also, it means we can use electric engines to pump water out of the cave as well.”
Divers have been seeking a way forward through the chambers of the cave complex, but have been forced to suspend their search several times. The authorities are also seeking alternative ways in, using helicopters and search parties on foot to find possible holes in the ceilings of other parts of the cave.
A small glimmer of hope was dashed Tuesday afternoon after explorers found two fissures in the rock on the mountain in which the cave is located. After evaluation, experts found neither could be used as a “chimney” to gain access to the cave.
Rain that fell overnight increased the difficulty of exploring inside the cave. However, the initial chambers near the cave’s entrance are dry, and a power line was extended inside to provide light and ventilation and help the divers communicate with those outside.
The boys and their 25-year-old coach entered the cave in Chiang Rai province late Saturday afternoon. A mother reported that her son did not return from soccer practice that day, setting off the search.
Some relatives prayed where the missing boys’ bicycles, backpacks and soccer cleats still lay outside the caves while others called out for those who were missing.
Relatives of the missing boys and others performed a ritual Tuesday morning calling for those who are missing. They played drums and gongs and two relatives held fishing nets as symbols to fish out lost spirits from the cave. Organizer Jiratat Kodyee said the ritual was a traditional way of showing support for the boys’ families.
“My son, come on out! I am waiting for you here!” cried one mother. Namhom Boonpiam, whose son, Mongkol, 13, was among the group, said she had been waiting there since Saturday night.
“I haven’t slept and I hope all of them come out safe and sound,” she told the Bangkok Post.
The caves are generally considered off limits during the rainy season however tourists trapped there by past floods have survived.
“We are still optimistic they are alive,” said deputy prime minister Prawit Wongsuwon.