Rescuers make progress in cave

MAE SAI, Thailand — Rescue divers cleared a key hurdle Sunday in the increasingly desperate search for 12 boys and their soccer coach who went missing in a cave in northern Thailand more than a week ago, officials said.

A team led by Thai navy SEAL divers pushed through the murk of a half-mile-long chamber to a passageway that could lead to where the missing may have taken shelter, said the SEALs' commander, Rear Adm. Arpakorn Yookongkaew.

But Arpakorn said even though the divers made some progress, they're not yet where they want to be.

"It's still tough as the water stream is quite strong," he said.

The missing boys, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach entered the sprawling Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province after soccer practice June 23. They were apparently trapped inside by flooding caused by heavy rain and have not been heard from since.

The divers have been stymied by muddy water rising to the ceiling of the chamber, forcing them to withdraw for safety reasons. When water levels dropped, the divers went forward with a more methodical approach, deploying a rope line and extra oxygen supplies along the way.

"Today we made good progress, and it was a positive improvement, very positive," Chiang Rai Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn told reporters.

The divers' goal is to get to an area of the cave known as Pattaya Beach. That section of the cave has a higher elevation, and authorities hope it remained dry and the 13 missing took shelter there.