The recently rescued
Thai boys soccer team only meant to explore a cave for an hour, but it started flooding, officials say.
CHIANG RAI, Thailand — The boys meant to explore the cave for just an hour, a casual jaunt to relax after soccer practice, but the waters rose.
The teammates climbed higher, using their hands to feel the walls for a crawl space that would lead to safer, higher ground.
Those handprints were among the first signs of where the boys were, what they had done to escape the floods, and what dangers rescuers would face in their mission to save them.
The boys now recuperating and the rescuers who brought them to safety are starting to share stories of the dangers and survival.
The hospital in northern Thailand where the 12 boys and their soccer coach are quarantined said Friday they are healthy, aside from some minor infections. A psychiatrist said their mental state seems fine.
Family members, first able to reunite with them only through a glass window, now can meet face-toface though still not touch, to ensure any illnesses don’t spread.
Banphot Konkum, father of Duangpetch Promthep, 13, said his son — better known by his nickname Dom — said team members didn’t know rain had started falling after they had entered the cave June 23.
But the rain caused flooding in the cave, blocking them from exiting.
“After an hour when they wanted to leave, the water level was rising. They ran further inside the cave to escape from the water,” Banphot said.
Banphot said all 13 rescued team members will enter the monkhood to pay tribute to Saman Kunan, a former Thai navy SEAL who died while diving to place essential supplies along the rescue route.
Becoming a monk at a temple for at least a short period is a way of making merit in Thai Buddhist tradition.