Rescuers of Thai youth soccer team begin trek home

CHIANG RAI, Thailand — The Thai and foreign rescuers of the youth soccer team trapped in a cave for 18 days began heading home Thursday, as doctors said the boys they saved have so far not shown any significant ill effects from their ordeal.

Members of the Thai navy SEAL team, who were among the first searchers to penetrate the watery depth of Tham Luang Nang Non cave and the last divers out, flew to their base at Sattahip on the Gulf of Thailand, where they received a heroes’ welcome. The ceremony was capped with their commander leading a rousing round of the navy cheer “Hooyah!” that became a trademark of their never-say-die effort to extricate the boys.

Foreign helpers, including some of the world’s best cave divers, also began travelling home.

Thai officials have been generous with their praise of foreign volunteers who were essential in the complicated search and rescue operation, including the two British divers who were the first to discover where the members of the Wild Boar soccer club were sheltering.

One of them, John Volanthen, and another British diver, Jason Mallison, met before they departed with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who presented each of them with a souvenir medal, a polo shirt and a lacquered wooden box marked with an official emblem.

“Jason has a 18-month-old baby, but he drove to Heathrow airport right away to Thailand after receiving a call from us,” Tourism Minister Weerasak Kowsurat told reporters after seeing the two divers off. “We’re so thankful that he sacrificed being with his family to be with us.”

The boys were described Thursday as generally being in normal condition in a Chiang Rai hospital.