RESCUERS SET UP BASE IN CAVE
Hope rises as teams get closer to a chamber called Pattaya Beach, where the missing may be sheltering
RESCUE divers inched closer to a spot in a flooded cave where 12 boys and their football coach have been missing for more than a week after days of bad weather beset the grueling search.
The children, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old assistant coach have not been heard from since they ventured into the recesses of the Tham Luang cave on Saturday last week and were blocked by heavy rains.
But the clouds parted yesterday, and with the help of water pumps, divers were able to established a forward operating base inside the twisting chambers, raising hopes that the “Boars”, as the team is known, could be located soon.
“Today is a bright day for me and our team. We have sunlight today, roads are easily walkable,” said Narongsak Osottanakorne, governor of Chiang Rai province.
He said water levels in the cave had decreased and that almost 60 foreign and Thai divers were involved in the rescue effort.
“Today, what we have to do is to rush to the kids,” Thai Navy Seal commander and Rear Admiral Apakorn Yookongkaew said.
“We will not stop until we find them.”
Responders are placing extra oxygen tanks along the walls and lighting in hopes that they can provide a path to an airy chamber called Pattaya Beach, where officials believe the team may have taken shelter.
The base will also help rescuers bring the boys out if and when they are found, and provide them with immediate assistance.
“We have a plan today for the next process after the rescue. We have a plan about what to do, how the treatment will be,” Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osottanakorne said, adding that they were also exploring entering the cave by drilling from above.
The upbeat attitude comes after a week of heavy rains that pounded the area, making it difficult to reach deeper into the 10km-long recesses of Tham Luang.
“I’m feeling happy like I’ve not felt in a long time. Many good signs,” the football team’s head coach Nopparat Khanthavong, 37, said yesterday.
Outside the main entrance, other searchers were trying to find a way into the cave through separate chimneys.
Large water pumps were also installed in a nearby village to drain water from the area. Relatives and friends have held vigils and prayed for their safe return.
“I miss them,” said Thananchai Saengtan, 15, a friend of a player.
“I want them to come back so we can play football together again.”