4 more boys said extracted from Thai cave on 2nd phase of rescue mission
Elite divers reenter Tham Luang cavern complex to rescue remaining members of soccer team and their coach, before heavy rains hit
Four more boys were rescued Monday from a flooded Thai cave on the second day of an operation to extract the group of young soccer players trapped inside, according to witness reports.
Four ambulances left the area around the flooded cave in northern Thailand, suggesting that a total of eight of the 13 trapped people have now been extracted.
Thai officials have been tight-lipped about the rescue operation, and would not comment on how many people were removed Monday.
On Sunday, when the high-risk rescue operation to rescue the 12 boys and their coach began, teams of divers brought out four of the boys but waited several hours before confirming their safe rescue.
Chiang Rai acting Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn had said earlier Monday that the second phase began at 11 a.m. and authorities “hope to hear good news in the next few hours.” As of Monday morning, nine people remained trapped in the cave, including the team’s coach.
“All conditions are still as good as they were yesterday,” Narongsak told a news conference. “The boys’ strength, the plan — today we are ready like before. And we will do it faster because we are afraid of the rain.”
Thais have been fixated on the crisis, hoping desperately for the safe return of the 12 boys and their 25-year-old soccer coach, after they ventured into the Tham Luang cave complex after practice and became trapped by rising waters on June 23.
The saga has also dominated global headlines, with the team spending nine days unaccounted for inside the cave, before British divers found the emaciated and disheveled group huddling on a muddy bank above the flooding.
Authorities then struggled to determine the best way to save the “Wild Boar” soccer team, with the group stuck on a shelf more than four kilometers (2.5 miles) inside the cave in pitch darkness.
Among the ideas were drilling an escape route through the mountain, and leaving them for months until the monsoon season ended and the flooding subsided.
But with oxygen levels inside dropping to dangerous lows and the prospect of heavy rains flooding the area completely, authorities decided they had to move quickly and take the group out through the water-filled tunnels.
Dozens of foreign divers and other experts from around the world were brought to help the rescue effort, working alongside Thai Navy SEALs.
Deadly dangers
Narongsak described Sunday’s initial rescue bid as “D-Day” when it was launched, and there were fears that any one of many potential pitfalls could prove deadly.
Among these were that none of the boys had scuba diving experience, and that they could easily panic while swimming underwater in darkness.
The death of a former Thai Navy SEAL diver who ran out of oxygen in the cave on Friday underscored the danger of the journey even for professionals.
But after the first four emerged late on Sunday afternoon, hopes began to rise of a fairy tale ending to the ordeal.
Narongsak on Sunday described their journey out, escorted by elite divers, as “smooth.”
Thai premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha was also due to visit the rescue operation late on Monday.
Still, for the relatives of the Wild Boar team members, an agonizing wait continued.
“I am still waiting here at the cave, keeping my fingers crossed to see whether my son will be one of those to come out today,” Supaluk Sompiengjai, mother of Pheeraphat — known by his nickname “Night” — told AFP on Monday morning.
“We heard four boys are out but we do not know who they are. Many parents are still here waiting. None of us has been informed of anything.”
And although the four had been rescued, there were concerns they may have contracted an illness while in the cave, Narongsak said on Monday.
“They (the four) will be kept away from their parents for a while because we are concerned about infections,” Narongsak said.
And rain could still re-emerge as a threat, particularly if there are complications that could delay the extraction further.
Weather forecasters warned heavy rain could hit the area on Monday afternoon and continue through the week.
Authorities have repeatedly said the rain could re-flood crucial parts of the cave complex that have been drained and make the escape route much harder or even impossible to navigate.
