Boys find laughter in the dark as rescuers keep an eye on the weather
Their skinny faces illuminated by a flashlight, the Thai football teammates stranded for more than a week in a partly flooded cave said they were healthy on a video released yesterday, as heavy rains forecast for this week could complicate plans to safely extract them.
However, there was a suggestion rescuers could try to lead them from the cave today if conditions allow. The
Australian reported that if yesterday’s conditions hold out, the navy Seals intended to begin trying to bring out the boys and their coach today.
Officials were quick to stress they wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks, though.
The 12 boys and their coach are seen in the videos released yesterday sitting with Thai navy Seals in the dark cave. The boys, many wrapped in foil warming blankets, take turns introducing themselves, folding their hands together in a traditional greeting and saying their names and that they are healthy.
The video lasting about a minute was recorded sometime Tuesday and was posted on the navy Seal Facebook page yesterday. The navy later released two more videos of the boys.
The boys, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach disappeared when they went exploring in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex in northern Chiang Rai province after a football game on June 23.
The teammates, who were trapped inside when heavy rains flooded the cave, were found by rescue divers late on Monday night during a desperate search that drew assistance from experts around the globe.
Authorities said the boys, who had also been shown on Tuesday in a video shot by the British diver who discovered them, were being looked after by seven members of the Thai navy Seals, including medics, who were staying with them inside the cave.
They were mostly in stable condition and have received high-protein drinks.
In all of the videos the boys have appeared in good spirits. In the most recent videos, a navy Seal is shown treating minor cuts on the feet and legs of the boys with antibiotic ointment. Several of the boys are seen smiling as they interact with the navy Seal, who cracks jokes.
Seeing the boys has boosted the mood of relatives, and officials are working to install an internet cable to the cave so parents can talk to their children.
Kian Kamluang, whose 16-year-old son Pornchai is inside, said she had thought it was a 50 per cent chance that her son would be found. “It’s like he has been given a new life,” she said, adding that she’ll never let her son go into a cave or near water again.
Seal commander Rear Admiral Arpakorn Yookongkaew said on Tuesday that there was no rush to bring the group out of the cave, since they’re safe where they are. The current