RELATIVES OF SAMAN GUNAN, A FORMER THAI NAVY SEAL WHO DIED TRYING TO HELP SAVE A GROUP OF BOYS TRAPPED IN A CAVE IN THAILAND, MOURN HIS DEATH ON FRIDAY.
PRESSURE MOUNTS AS OXYGEN LEVELS DROP IN CAVE
DIVER DIES WHILE DELIVERING OXYGEN
The rescuers trying to help a youth soccer team stranded in a Thai cave suffered a disheartening loss Friday with the death of a former
Thai Navy SEAL diving in the flooded passageways to deliver supplies. Saman Gunan was working as a volunteer and died during an overnight mission in which he was placing oxygen canisters along the route divers use to reach the children. The strategically placed canisters allow divers to stay underwater for longer during what is about a five-hour trip to reach the stranded team. While underwater, the rescuer passed out and efforts to resuscitate him failed, Thai SEAL commander Rear Adm. Arpakorn Yookongkaew said. Some officials said his collapse was due to his oxygen supply running out, but the cause was not confirmed. “Inside the cave is tough,” said Arpakorn. “I can guarantee that we will not panic, we will not stop our mission, we will not let the sacrifice of our friend go to waste.”
DROPPING OXYGEN LEVELS MAKES ESCAPE SOON VITAL
Authorities are racing against worsening weather and lessening oxygen where the 12 boys and their coach have been trapped for two weeks. “We can no longer wait for all conditions (to be ready) because circumstances are pressuring us,” Arpakorn told a news conference. “We originally thought the boys can stay safe inside the cave for quite some time, but circumstances have changed. We have limited amount of time.” He said oxygen levels in the cave had dropped to 15 per cent, a level that one Thai medic said posed a serious risk of hypoxia, the same condition that causes altitude sickness. Oxygen levels are decreasing because of the amount of workers inside the cave. They were trying to run an oxygen line into the chambers in addition to the oxygen canisters used by divers.
BOYS MAY HAVE TO DIVE
Authorities said Friday they will not immediately attempt an underwater evacuation because the boys have not learned adequate diving skills. However, Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn indicated that if heavy rains started as expected over the weekend and appeared to be causing flooded areas in the cave to rise again, divers would try to take the boys out right away. “If we think the big rain is coming then we will have to get them out,” he said. Narongsak said the boys were still healthy and have practised wearing diving masks and breathing in preparation for the diving possibility. But CNN reported that officials have been unable to find wetsuits small enough for three of the boys.
BILLIONAIRE MUSK SENDS EXPERTS
Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind the Tesla automobile and the SpaceX rocket company, has said he would send engineers to help. One of his enterprises is Boring Co., which digs tunnels for advanced transport systems and has advanced ground-penetrating radar. Musk also brainstormed on Twitter about possible technology for a safe evacuation, suggesting inserting a one-metre diameter nylon tube through the cave network and inflating it with air “like a bouncy castle” to create an air tunnel underwater against the cave roof, allowing the children to walk through it and duck through the narrow sections.
YOUNGSTERS KEEPING TRACK OF WORLD CUP
The dramatic rescue efforts and the boys’ plight have garnered international attention, perhaps most notably at soccer’s most widely watched event, the World Cup. A diver who spent time with the boys said earlier the youngsters wanted to know the results of the matches. Players from teams including England and Sweden have recorded good luck video messages for the trapped boys, and FIFA has invited the 13 to the World Cup final should they be rescued in time.