Eighth boy rescued from flooded Thai cave
Authorities unsure when final four players and coach can be extracted
MAE SAI, Thailand – Leaders of the rescue effort that has plucked eight members of a soccer team from the depths of a watery cave were trying to determine Monday when the final four boys and their coach would be freed.
Chiang Rai acting Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said all the boys rescued thus far are “safe and conscious” in a hospital. He said he was not certain whether the last four boys and their coach would be brought out Tuesday.
Four members of the Wild Boars were rescued Sunday before the effort was put on hold so the cave could be restocked with oxygen tanks and other essentials. The operation cranked up again Monday morning local time.
“The eighth person is out and the operation is done for today,” Sitthichai Klangpattana, an aide to Thailand’s Navy Seal commander, said late Monday.
Twelve boys, ages 11-17, and their 25year-old coach hiked more than 2 miles into the labyrinth June 23 after a practice. Heavy rains flooded parts of the cave and blocked their exit, prompting a desperate search. They were found a week ago, but the twisting array of tunnels has made their extraction a dangerous task – a Navy diver died last week while preparing for the rescue.
“Two days, eight boars. Hooyah,” the Thai Navy Seals posted Monday on their Facebook page.
The Seals are leading the effort, but more than 90 rescue workers from around the world have been laboring in and around the dark, twisting cave. Massive pumps were being used to lower water levels to shorten the underwater distances. It is monsoon season here, and sporadic heavy rainfalls have made operations difficult. More rain is expected midweek.
Only parts of the cave are flooded, but most of the boys can’t swim. They are outfitted with scuba masks and are breathing from oxygen tanks for the underwater sections of the journey. Two divers guide each boy through sec- tions of the cave that are underwater.
As the boys emerged, they were placed in ambulances and checked by medics before being shuttled, some via helicopters, to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh hospital more than 30 miles away. An entire floor of the hospital has been set aside for the team.
The boys were being cared for in what is essentially a quarantined floor of a hospital because of fears of infection. Relatives can see the boys only through a glass window. But Narongsak was upbeat and said the boys rescued Sunday were in good spirits.
“This morning they said they were hungry and wanted to eat khao pad grapao,” he said, referring to a popular Thai dish served over rice.
Family and friends said they would help the boys readjust when they are released from the hospital.
“When my friends are back, we will do everything as normal,” said Waranchit Kankaew, 14, a teammate of the trapped players. “We will go to lunch together, we will play football together.”
Bacon reported from McLean, Va. Contributing: The Associated Press