Boys trapped in cave smile and joke with rescuers
MAE SAI, Thailand — Their skinny faces illuminated by a flashlight, the Thai soccer teammates stranded for nearly two weeks in a partly flooded cave said in a video released Wednesday that they are healthy.
The 12 boys and their coach are seen in the video sitting with seven Thai navy SEALs, including medics, in the dark cave. The boys, many wrapped in foil warming blankets, take turns introducing themselves, pressing their hands together in a traditional Thai greeting and saying their names. Several of the boys are seen smiling as they interact with the navy SEAL, who cracks jokes.
The video, lasting about a minute, was recorded Tuesday and posted on the navy SEAL Facebook page Wednesday morning. The navy later released two more videos of the boys.
The boys, ages 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach disappeared after they went exploring in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in northern Chiang Rai province after a soccer game June 23. The teammates, who were trapped inside when heavy rains flooded the cave, were found by rescue divers Monday night during a desperate search that drew assistance from experts around the globe.
Seeing the boys has boosted the mood of their family members, and officials are working to install an internet cable to the cave so that parents can talk to their children.
SEAL commander Rear Adm. Arpakorn Yookongkaew said there is no rush to bring the group out of the cave, because they’re safe where they are. The current flooding situation means the boys would have to dive, which rescue experts have said could be very dangerous.
While efforts to pump out floodwaters are continuing, some Thai officials have indicated that heavy rains forecast for this weekend could force them to decide the boys should swim and dive out using the same complicated route of narrow passageways through which their rescuers entered.
Chiang Rai provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said Wednesday that the boys have been practicing wearing diving masks and breathing, but he doesn’t believe they have attempted any practice dives.
He said it is unknown when an extraction could be attempted.