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Thai Navy SEALs work to free boys, coach trapped in cave

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Kyodo News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/07/03/20180703-thai-cave-rescue-afp.jpg"/><figcaption>This handout video grab taken from footage released by The Royal Thai Navy late July 2, 2018, shows missing children inside the Tham Luang cave of Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park in the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province. Thai Royal Navy/AFP</figcaption></figure></div>Rescue workers on Tuesday were focused on pumping water from a cave complex in northern Thailand as part of a plan to extract 12 boys and their soccer coach who were found alive after being trapped for 10 days.Rear Adm. Arpakorn Yukongkaew, commander of the Navy SEAL Command, told a press conference Tuesday afternoon that the children are in good spirits and that seven SEAL members, including a doctor, are now looking after them and their coach.He said food and medical supplies have been delivered to their location deep inside the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai Province.Asked about timing of bringing them out, Arpakorn said there is no hurry to do so and that their safety is the first priority.&quot;They have been staying there for 10 days in good health. Now they have food and medicine, we don&#x27;t have to rush,&quot; he said, adding that having the group dive out of the cave is among the options being considered.Chiang Rai Deputy Gov. Pasakorn Boonyalak said the rescuers are coordinating their efforts to bringing the soccer team out but could not set a time frame. He said no move will be taken until the children recover their strength to be able to move with their own effort, adding that they would not need to be extracted en masse.In the meantime, the authorities are installing telephone lines for the children to communicate with their families.The boys, aged between 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old male coach were found by British divers late Monday on higher ground in a flooded cavern not far from where they were thought to be sheltering.Chiang Rai Gov. Narongsak Osottanakorn confirmed at a press conference earlier Tuesday that all are in good health, although weak, with a few of the boys having suffered minor injuries.Food, water and medical supplies are already being sent to their location.&quot;Ten days is like a lifetime. We have to thank rescue teams both Thais and foreigners as well as public, who have been supporting us,&quot; Narongsak said.One of boy&#x27;s parents told Kyodo News that they thanked God after knowing that their son found alive and were eagerly awaiting to be reunited with him. The parents also said they would not bar their son to continue playing soccer with the team.Video footage released by the Thai navy showed the moment when the two British scuba divers found the group.&quot;How many of you?&quot; one of the divers asked. &quot;Thirteen&quot; came a response from the group huddled on a bank.One of the boys is heard asking when they can leave the cave, to which the diver responds, &quot;Not today. There&#x27;s two of us. You have to dive.&quot;As for how they managed to survive for 10 days in a dark cave without food, Thai media reported that the coach told the boys to lie down to save energy and only drink water tricking down walls.Although efforts to pump water out of the cave are slowly lowering water levels in the complex, rain continued to fall Tuesday, with more rain expected in the coming days.Besides providing the teens and their coach with diving gear and teaching them how to use it, another option being considered is to have them wait in the cave until the water level drops, which could take months.The team entered the cave on June 23 after soccer practice and became trapped inside after a flash flood blocked their exit.The search operation has mobilized relevant agencies as well as foreign assistance from such countries as Britain, China, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, Australia and the United States.

Besides providing the teens and their coach with diving gear and teaching them how to use it, another option being considered is to have them wait in the cave until the water level drops, which could take months.

Besides providing the teens and their coach with diving gear and teaching them how to use it, another option being considered is to have them wait in the cave until the water level drops, which could take months.