Rain threat as Welsh group find trapped Thai cave boys
MEMBERS of a Welsh caving group who “spearheaded” the discovery of 12 trapped boys and their football coach in flooded caves in Thailand face the daunting prospect of helping them to safety with heavy rainfall forecast.
There were scenes of elation late on Monday as relatives gathered at the cave site learned the group had been found in a stable medical condition and given high-protein liquid food.
But rescuers now must grapple with the challenge of safely extracting the group through nearly a mile of tunnels, large portions of which are underwater.
Heavy rains forecast for later this week could flood the cave even further and the boys may need to swim out using diving equipment before then, the Thai interior minister said.
Anupong Paojinda said they could use the same narrow passages out that their rescuers used to get in and would need to be guided by experts.
“Diving is not easy. For people who have never done it, it will be difficult, unlike diving in a swimming pool, because the cave’s features have small channels,” he said, adding: “If something happens midway, it could be life-threatening.”
The forecasted rainfall means there will not be much time to teach the boys and coach them in how to swim using scuba equipment, heightening the risk.
Another option previously suggested was waiting for the water level to drop, which some officials reportedly fear could take months, as the country’s rainy season typically lasts into October.
Rescuers have also searched for other potential entrances to drill into the chamber and airlift the group out. It is estimated that the boys are around half a mile below the surface. But it would be a complex and delicate task as the cave stretches under a mountainside for up to six miles and the rocky ground varies in elevation throughout.
Mr Stanton and Mr Volanthen, along with a third Briton, Robert Harper, joined the “huge” search operation after the British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC) was contacted by Thai authorities seeking expert help.
Thai authorities have said the military will make the final decision on how the group are rescued.
Relatives have been camped at the cave opening ever since the group went missing, praying for their safe return.
Tham Chanthawong, an aunt of the coach, said after they were found: “I want to give him a hug. In these 10 days, how many million seconds have there been? I’ve missed him every second.”
BCRC vice chairman Bill Whitehouse said all focus was on extracting the group safely.
“It was euphoria for a moment and then you draw back and think ‘what do we do’ – it’s not going to be easy to get 13 people out of a flooded cave,” he said.
“There’s space to make your way through, but it is 50/50 underwater over 1.5km. That’s still a lot of diving and it’s possible it will need a lot of equipment. The question is how much time until the water goes up again.”
The group have had a brief medical assessment and been given painkillers and antibiotics as a precaution.
“They clearly want to get them out as quick as they can, they will be making plans to get them out as quickly as possible,” he said.
Elite divers Mr Stanton and Mr Volanthen have established reputations as being among the best cave rescuers in the world, and were called upon by Thai authorities seeking expert help.
Mr Stanton, a fireman in his fifties from Coventry, and Mr Volanthen, an IT consultant in his forties based in Bristol, have broken diving world records together and both received medals for a complex 10-day rescue attempt in France in 2010.
Despite the key role played by the British team in Monday’s remarkable events, Mr Whitehouse highlighted that they were part of a major effort overall.
Thai prime minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said the search mission has “created gratitude and happiness for people all over the country”.
He said: “I have to thank the International community in assisting us. This would not have been possible if we didn’t help each other. Everybody did their part.”