Thai team found, but can’t flee cave yet

returns after conducting

The missing youth soccer team from Thailand found alive late on Monday night after being trapped for 10 days may need to wait a few more days before they can be rescued from a cave due to the unpredictable terrain and bad weather, a member of the Chinese rescue team said.

Divers struggled through narrow passages and murky waters to find the 12 boys and their coach on an elevated rock about 4 kilometers in from the mouth of the cave. The rock was surrounded by deep water, Reuters said.

Video from rescuers showed the boys were sitting or standing on the rock with their red or blue shirts. They were weak, but in good condition.

Teams from Britain, the United States, China, Australia, Japan, Laos and Myanmar joined in the search and rescue operation.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Tuesday that China is gratified to see significant progress in the search and rescue operation.

The spontaneous participation of a Chinese private rescue team has further demonstrated that “China and Thailand are kith and kin”, Lu said.

Wang Yingjie, leader of the Chinese rescue team, said the boys must stay a few more days in the cave before they can be reunited with their families.

“Currently, both the mental and physical states of the trapped kids are relatively positive,” he said. “But before we can move to the next step, we will give them professional medical evaluations and conditioning for two or three days, as they haven’t eaten for more than a week.”

The 12 boys, ages 11 to 16, went missing with their coach after a soccer practice on June 23, when they set out to explore the Tham Luang cave complex in a forest park near Thailand’s northern border.

However, the rescue progress did not go smoothly because of local natural conditions. “The first one is the unknown situation in the cave. We have very limited information on the cave, so every step is relying on teammates to explore,” Wang said.

The water level remains too high due to the days of heavy rain, which also led to poor visibility under the water, he added.

Wang said a possible way to get the group out safely is to train them with basic diving skills, such as how to use diving gear to navigate the flooded cave.

The Thai government’s assistant spokesman Colonel Athisit Chainuwat told reporters the Thai Navy SEAL rescue team was still with the boys and rescuers were trying to install lights and a power supply and get communications equipment to the boys.

Chinese rescuers have dived into the cave to bring supplies and build a transport and clinic system since their arrival.

“The moment we heard of the news, we started to apply to relevant authorities in both Thailand and China to provide rescue assistance,” Wang said.

China has always tracked natural disasters in Southeast Asia, and Wang said his team wants to use their experience starting from 2008 to help those in need.

LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA / AFP Family members — camping out near Tham Luang cave in Thailand’s Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park — celebrate upon hearing the news that all members of their children’s soccer team and its coach were found alive late on Monday.

XINHUA A member of the Chinese rescue team a search mission on Monday.

XINHUA Young soccer players and their coach are seen alive in this picture provided by the Thai Navy on Monday.