Mothers tell kids to avoid cave with good reason

BANGKOK: A man who got lost inside a cave where rescue workers are searching for a group of boys and their soccer coach recalled yesterday his experience inside the “labyrinth”, saying it was a miracle he got out alive.

In 2002, Intu Incharoen and four friends also set out to explore a cave that mothers had for generations forbidden their children from visiting. They soon found themselves lost.

“I was so lost I almost couldn’t make it out,” said Intu, 34.

The Chiang Rai native said parts of the cave’s floor were hollow and there were numerous side channels, some dropping off down into depths of darkness.

“You could fall through some hollow ground. It was a labyrinth. It was so deep you couldn’t tell where it ended.”

The cave network stretched 10km into a jungle-clad mountain and rescuers believed floodwaters had cut off the boys in a chamber.

Martin Ellis, author of The Caves of Thailand Volume 2, described how the cave was prone to flooding in the wet season, which ran from May to October.

“It can only be explored between November and June,” Ellis wrote.

Intu said he and his friends were so lost, it was impossible to retrace their steps. Hours later, they heard women calling for help from an adjoining chamber.

After following the voices, the two groups joined forces and eventually found an exit route.

“It was a miracle,” Intu said. He said parents had long warned children to stay away from the cave, and with good reason.

“The cave is a forbidden place. Parents always said you could go anywhere but there,” he said.