Thai authorities on Sunday rescued four boys among 13 trapped in a cave for more than two weeks, in a dramatic operation that involved having the children dive through dark, flooded passages. The operation to extract the rest of the group with the help of elite foreign divers and Thai Navy SEALs will restart on Monday after supplies are restocked, authorities said. With fresh monsoon rains due that could flood the cave, rescuers warn the window of opportunity to evacuate the boys is "limited". Here is a timeline of the efforts to find and free the group. - Saturday, June 23 - The youngsters, aged between 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old coach enter the Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand during heavy rains after football practice. They are reported missing by a mother after her son does not come home that night. Local officials find bicycles locked to a fence and shoes and football boots close to the entrance. - Sunday, June 24 - Park officials and police find handprints and footprints believed to belong to the boys. Relatives start to keep a vigil outside the cave. - Monday, June 25 - Thai Navy SEAL divers enter the cave searching for the boys. Makeshift shrines are set up for parents to pray and make offerings as heavy rains continue. - Tuesday, June 26 - Divers reach a T-junction several kilometres inside the cave but are forced back by rushing floodwaters that clog a narrow crevice near an elevated air pocket called "Pattaya Beach", where the boys are believed to have retreated. - Wednesday, June 27 - A team of more than 30 American military personnel from the US Pacific Command arrive, including pararescue and survival specialists. They are joined by three British diving experts who enter the cave but quickly retreat in the face of heavy flooding. - Thursday, June 28 - The underwater rescue is temporarily halted after downpours bring fast-moving floods inside the cave. Water pumps are shipped in to drain the rising, murky floodwaters and drones are dispatched to help find new vents in the cave roof. Story continues - Friday, June 29 - Thailand's junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha visits the site, leads a meditation and jokes and cooks with relatives, asking them not to give up hope. - Saturday, June 30 - A break in the rain allows divers to reach further inside the cave but they are still a long distance from where the boys are believed to be. - Sunday, July 1 - Divers inch further into the cave, as an operating base is set up inside and hundreds of air tanks and other supplies are pulleyed in. - Monday, July 2 - Finally, a miracle: the 12 boys and their coach are found alive late Monday evening about 400 metres beyond Pattaya Beach by the British cave diving team. Crowds at the teeming rescue site cheer the good news, but attention soon turns to the difficult task of getting the boys out safely. - Tuesday, July 3 - Much-needed food and medical supplies -- including high-calorie gels and paracetamol -- reach the boys as rescuers prepare for the possibility that they may remain in the cave for some time. - Wednesday, July 4 - Officials say the group are being taught how to use diving masks and breathing apparatuses. Teams pump out water around the clock as more rain is forecast for the days ahead. - Thursday, July 5 - In a sign of increased urgency, authorities say expected rains may force a complex rescue quicker than first thought. A team of bird's nest collectors scour the mountainside in search of new openings into the cave roof. - Friday, July 6 - Tragedy strikes: a diver helping to establish an airline to the boys dies after passing out while returning from the chamber. Saman Kunan's death raises serious doubts over the safety of attempting a rescue through the cave's cramped and waterlogged passageways. Thailand's Navy SEAL commander says oxygen levels inside have dropped. He warns the window of opportunity to free the youngsters is "limited", in the first official admission that the rescue cannot wait out the monsoon rains. - Saturday, July 7 - Rescue operation chief Narongsak Osottanakorn says it is "not suitable" yet to have the boys dive to safety. A scrawled message emerges from the team's coach, offering his "apologies" to their parents. The head of the rescue mission says more than 100 vents are being drilled into the mountainside in a frantic bid to reach the boys. - Sunday, July 8 - Divers lead four of the boys out of the cave complex as night falls, sending them to the hospital. Narongsak says they are "safe" but no other details are given about their conditions. Narongsak says late in the evening that the rescue mission will not start again for at least another 10 hours to give time for oxygen and other supplies need to be replenished. Though unfinished the rescue is celebrated and hailed on social media by Thais, who have been following the saga closely.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox The group of 12 boys and their 25-year-old football coach became trapped when a flash flood caused by a monsoon gushed into the cave. The group have been there since June 23 and, after a huge manhunt was launched, were found on their ninth day by rescue teams. After a highly-trained Thai Navy SEAL died while diving out of the cave after visiting the boys, it became clear just how treacherous this rescue attempt is. However, as huge Monsoon storms loomed, fears grew that the cave could become entirely flooded. Highly trained rescue divers have begun leading the boys - none of whom can swim or dive - out of the cave. So far, eight of the boys have made it to safety. Five remain trapped.<doc-sep>Below is the latest update on the rescue of 12 schoolboys and their coach from a cave in northern Thailand (all times local to Thailand): 2:30 pm The Thai navy SEALs, who have been spearheading the rescue effort for the 12 boys and their soccer coach, have posted a photo on their Facebook page with a vow to bring the trapped team home from a flooded cave. The unit says in a message: “We, the Thai team and the international team, will bring the Wild Boars home.” That’s the name of the young boys’ team. The risky diving operation to bring them out has started and the first boy is expected to be out of the cave around 9 p.m. Sunday (10 a.m. ET) at the earliest. Rescuers say it may take 2-4 days for the entire team to reach safety, depending on conditions inside the cave. The local governor in charge of the rescue says the mission was launched Sunday morning because floodwaters inside the cave are at their lowest level in days and rains forecast to hit the region risk flooding the cave again. 12 noon A Thai army commander says the ongoing rescue of 12 boys and their coach could take 2-4 days depending on conditions inside the partially flooded cave. According to Major General Chalongchai Chaiyakam, the 13 “will continuously come out in approximately 2-4 days, which all may change depending on weather and water conditions.” The governor in charge of the operation says two divers will accompany each boy as they are gradually extracted. The operation began at 10 a.m. and he said it would take at least 11 hours for the first person to be rescued. 11:35 am The Thai official in charge of the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach says they’re physically ready and mentally determined for their extraction now underway from a partially flooded cave. Chiang Rai acting Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn says 13 ambulances and helicopters in two separate locations are ready to transport them to hospitals. The first is expected to reach safety at 9 p.m. Sunday (10 am ET) at the earliest. Narongsak says the rescue mission was launched because floodwaters inside the cave are at their most optimal level. He says: “If we keep on waiting and the rains come in the next three or four days, our readiness will decrease.” He also says the families of the boys have been informed about the risky mission. 10:40 am A Thai governor says the operation to bring out 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach from deep inside a cave where they have been trapped for two weeks has begun. The acting Chiang Rai governor has told reporters “today is D-Day” with 13 foreigner and five Thai divers taking part in the rescue. He says the divers went in at 10 am and the boys will gradually come out accompanied by two divers each. He says the earliest they will come out is 9 pm Sunday (10 am ET). The only way to bring them out is by navigating dark and tight passageways filled with muddy water and strong currents, as well as oxygen-depleted air. Experienced cave rescue experts consider an underwater escape a last resort, especially with people untrained in diving, as the boys are. The path out is considered especially complicated because of twists and turns in narrow flooded passages. But the governor supervising the mission said earlier that mild weather and falling water levels over the last few days had created optimal conditions for an underwater evacuation that won’t last if it rains again. 8:30 am Thai authorities have asked media to leave the area around the entrance of the cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped for two weeks, fueling speculation that a rescue mission could be imminent. Dozens of divers have arrived at the cave on Sunday morning. Thai officials said Saturday they are worried that heavy monsoon rain could soon make the job even more difficult and they may need to quickly rescue the boys and the soccer coach from a partially flooded cave by helping them make risky dives to safety. The boys, ages 11-16, and their 25-year-old became stranded when they went exploring in the cave after a practice game. Monsoon flooding cut off their escape and prevented rescuers from finding them for almost 10 days.<doc-sep>Thailand cave rescue: Monsoon rains put boys in more danger top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The group of 12 young boys and their instructor became trapped in a cave in Thailand on June 23 when rainwater from a monsoon flooded the nook they were exploring. A massive rescue operation was launched but after more than a week of searching, it seemed as though any hope of finding them alive was fading - and fast. But as the brave teams of recovery specialists continued searching, British specialist rescue divers came upon an area of high ground, where they found all 13 of the missing people huddled on top. The group had been missing for nine days before they were found and survived by drinking water dripping off the stalactites above them. And now, after one rescue diver tragically lost his life diving in the cave, the boys are beginning to be brought to the surface. So far, eight have been rescued, while five remain trapped. What should you do if you get stuck in a cave? John Hudson, a survival instructor who created the UK Military’s survival manual, says the fundamental difference between life and death in these situations is letting someone know what you’re up to. “If there’s any element of risk, you need to let someone know where you’re going,” he said. Thai cave rescue: The boys wanted to explore the cave further “We should be able to get out there and stretch ourselves, not sit on the sofa, but you need to let someone know where you’re going and when you’re expected back. “You need to have told your mates who to call if you disappear.” The boys disappeared on June 23 on a trip with their 25-year-old football coach, who has since passed a letter to parents apologising for his actions. The team of 12 boys — who were all between the ages of 11 and 16 and nicknamed the Wild Boars — had just finished practice and wanted to go exploring. The Thailand cave rescue in pictures Wed, July 11, 2018 Thailand cave rescue: Pictures show the dramatic rescue operation of a trapped youth football team and their coach. Play slideshow EPA 1 of 45 All 12 of the trapped football team and their coach have been rescued from a cave in Thailand Thai cave rescue: Chilean miner sends message to trapped boys They had all been inside the cave before but this time, they wanted to go further in to write their names on the wall as part of an initiation. But after they’d entered the cave, heavy rain started falling and the rising water trapped them inside. Thankfully, the authorities were able to quickly locate them - and Mr Hudson says this is key to survival. He added: “The hook that all the hope hangs from is that you’ve done everything to let people know where you are. “There is always a chance, always hope. “Rescue teams will continue to search far longer than people live.” Thai cave rescue: The boys have been stuck for 14 days Thai cave rescue: The boys wrote handwritten messages to their families<doc-sep>
Thailand cave rescue: Monsoon rains put boys in more danger The junior football players disappeared in the Tham Luang cave in the northern province of Chiang Rai on June 23. They were discovered on Monday, July 2, having spent nine days without fresh water or food. Chiang Rai Gov Narongsak Osottanakorn told reporters: “Thai Navy seals have found all 13 with signs of life.” They were found underground hungry but in good spirits. Officials warned on Friday that oxygen levels inside the cave have fallen and rescuers were racing to get more oxygen pipes into the cave. They have been working on a 5km (three miles) “oxygen pipeline” to prepare for the group’s extraction. The 25-year-old coach and the 12 boys, aged 11 to 16, were reportedly known to explore the region and their bicycles were discovered outside the caves on June 23. The group travelled inside the cave after a football game on June 23, when the weather was fine, however they got trapped inside the cave when monsoon rains increased. Thai cave rescue timeline: The junior soccer team have been in the cave since June 23 The boys have now been trapped for 13 days, as teams brace for heavy rain which could further delay the operation. Teams are trying to find alternative ways to reach the boys in what is a highly complex operation, that has already seen one rescuer lose his life when he fell unconscious during part of the operation. Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osottanakorn told reporters on Thursday: “We are trying to find alternative techniques to reach the 13. “We have considered many alternatives to find the most feasible ones.” Thai cave rescue: The boys were discovered on July 2 having spent days without food or water The Thai navy is teaching the boys the basics of diving, with a view to guiding them out through flood waters. However the boys will have to be taught how to use scuba diving gear and how to navigate a cave which has frustrated even the most expert divers and some of the boys cannot swim. Rescue teams have been pumping millions of litres of water from the cave in an attempt to lower water levels so the boys can simply walk out. One of the other options being considered is keeping the 13 inside the Tham Luang cave until the flood waters recede at the end of the rainy season in about four months time. Thai cave rescue timeline: Scuba tanks are delivered to the site for Thai navy and SEAL The Thailand cave rescue in pictures Wed, July 11, 2018 Thailand cave rescue: Pictures show the dramatic rescue operation of a trapped youth football team and their coach. Play slideshow EPA 1 of 45 All 12 of the trapped football team and their coach have been rescued from a cave in Thailand