Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Rains may force officials to make a decision soon
Thai cave where boys are trapped could flood again
MAE SAI, Thailand — Worried that heavy monsoon rain could soon make the job even more difficult, Thai officials said Saturday that they may need to quickly rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach from a partially flooded cave by helping them make risky dives to safety.
The boys, ages 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach have been trapped for two weeks — since June 23, when they went exploring in northern Thailand’s Tham Luang Nang Non cave after practice. Monsoon flooding cut off their escape and prevented rescuers from finding them for almost 10 days.
The only way to reach them was by navigating dark and tight passageways filled with muddy water and strong currents, as well as oxygen-depleted air.
Getting out via the same route looks like the only feasible option, but a highrisk one, Thai officials say. Experienced cave rescue experts consider an underwater escape a last resort, especially with people untrained in diving, as the boys are.
Chiang Rai provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn, who is supervising the rescue mission, said Saturday that mild weather and falling water levels over the last few days had created appropriate conditions for an underwater evacuation, but that they won’t last if it rains again.
Thai officials are stressing that they may have to act soon — meaning within the next couple of days. If weather forecasts are correct, access to the cave could soon close again due to flooding from seasonal monsoon rains.
Narongsak said experts told him flooding from new rain could shrink the unflooded space where the boys are sheltering to about 100 square feet.
The boys sounded calm and reassuring in notes to their families that were made public Saturday. The notes were sent out with divers who made an 11hour, back-and-forth journey to act as postmen.
One of the boys, identified as Tun, wrote: “Mom and Dad, please don’t worry, I am fine. I’ve told Yod to get ready to take me out for fried chicken. With love.”
The most touching note came from one whose name was not clear: “I’m doing fine, but the air is a little cold, but don’t worry. Although, don’t forget to set up my birthday party.”
In a letter of his own, the coach, Ekapol Chanthawong, apologized to the boys’ parents for the ordeal.
“To the parents of all the kids, right now the kids are all fine, the crew are taking good care. I promise I will care for the kids as best as possible. I want to say thanks for all the support and I want to apologize to the parents,” he wrote.
The death Friday of a former Thai navy SEAL, Saman Gunan, underscored the risks of making the underwater journey. The diver, the first fatality of the rescue effort, was working in a volunteer capacity and died on a mission to place oxygen canisters along the route to where the boys and others are sheltered.