THAI KIDS’ RESCUER DIES
Diver runs out of air during risky preparation
A former Thai navy SEAL diver died Friday while delivering air tanks to the Tham Luang cave complex in preparation for a possible underwater rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped inside, authorities said.
Saman Kunan, 38, ran out of his own air as he was placing the tanks throughout the cave as part of an attempt by Thai authorities to eventually ferry the youngsters out with scuba gear, officials said.
“It was sad news. A former SEAL who volunteered to help died last night,” Chiang Rai deputy Gov. Passakorn Boonyaluck told reporters.
“His job was to deliver oxygen. He did not have enough on his way back.”
Despite the setback with the tragic death of Kunan (inset), officials still believe they’re getting close to rescuing the trapped team.
“Even though we have lost one man, we still have faith to carry out our work,” said SEAL commander Rear Adm. Arpakorn Yookongkaew.
On Thursday, the rescue operation suffered a different kind of setback when bonehead volunteers accidentally pumped water back into the cave where the boys are trapped.
With crews furiously pumping water out, the unregistered volunteer group directed extracted water back into the ground instead of into nearby rice fields, resulting in a stream returning to the northern Tham Luang cave complex and hindering rescue efforts, an official said.
“They may have some belief that their technique is effective for groundwater drainage,” said the rescue operation’s commander, Narongsak Osotthanakorn said, according to the Bangkok Post.
“Anything that is not in the plan must be discussed with us first.”
Rescuers have been working around the clock to pump out as much water as possible so the boys, ages 11 to 16, and their 25year-old coach can scuba-dive out before new rains hit this weekend.
“We are racing against water,” Osotthanakorn said.
“This morning, I have asked for 13 sets of [diving] equipment to be prepared and [to check] the equipment lists and place them inside [the cave] in case we have to bring them out in this condition with less than 100 percent readiness.”
The Wild Boars team had been exploring the cave system after their soccer practice on June 23 when torrential rain flooded the network.
Divers reached the group nine days later and have been trying to teach the boys — who cannot swim — how to scuba out. It’s a feat even the elite frogmen say is one of the most difficult they have ever faced, involving squeezing through narrow, pitchblack passages.
And doctors determined on Thursday that the boys were too weak to attempt the treacherous escape, with three still suffering from exhaustion due to malnutrition, CNN reported.
By the end of the day, floodwater had been drained from a mile of the cave network, but another 1½ miles were still submerged, and monsoon rains were forecast for Saturday, officials told The Guardian.
Meanwhile, the Thai military has stepped up efforts for an alternative rescue plan — drilling down into the caves.