Thailand cave rescue: Navy officials confirm 9th boy rescued 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. At least four boys trapped in the cave were rescued today. Officials decided they could not wait to save the group any longer, as they believe the boys are now “fit enough and ready”. The boys, aged between 11 and 16, as well as their 25-year-old coach, have been stranded for two weeks on a ledge in the flooded Tham Luang Nang Non caves in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand. How did the Thai soccer team end up in the cave? The group became trapped on June 23 when they started exploring the caves after going on a picnic following football practice. The group had been missing for nine days before they were found huddled inside the cave and survived by drinking water dripping off the stalactites above them. What will happen now? Journalists were told to leave the immediate area by 9am (3am BST). Thai cave rescue update: The group has been trapped for two weeks Police announced on a loudspeaker at the muddy encampment: “Everyone who is not involved with the operations has to get out of the area immediately. “From the situation assessment, we need to use the area to help victims." Komsan Sa-ardluan, the Mae Sai police commander, added: “Assessing the situation now, it is necessary to evacuate the area for the rescue operation. “Those unrelated to the rescue operation, please evacuate the area immediately.” Thai cave rescue: Inside Tham Luang as divers try to save boys Thai cave rescue update: A map shows how treacherous the journey out the caves will be Michael Safi, a diver present at the cave site, told The Guardian the rescue operation will begin soon but did not give a specific time. He said all divers are currently at the site. Following the evacuation announcement, a rescue operation was launched and the first boys could emerge from the cave as early as 9pm local time (2pm GMT). Over the past couple of weeks, officials had been exploring different ways to get the boys out, including drilling down into the cave or looking at other entrances to the mountainside. Thai cave rescue update: Officials are ready to start getting the group out The rescue operation has become more urgent at heavy rainfall is on the way, so the flooding is set to get worse in the coming days. The group may have to do a mixture of walking, wading, climbing or diving to exit the cave. However, the first part of their journey will be the toughest, as it will involve long periods underwater to get through the narrow passages. The children have never used diving equipment before and some have had swimming lessons while they were inside the cave. 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<doc-sep>Sign Up For Newsletters Woman receives gift of motherhood after cancer diagnosis Stacey Abrams on writing herself into the story – and history Maya Angelou and Sally Ride to be honored on quarters Dancers seek to rid ballet performances of Asian stereotypes China's censors cut some new friends from the "Friends" reunion Lawmakers call for ambassador to protect Afghan women Boat carrying 20 overturns heading from Cuba to Florida SolarWinds hackers have launched new campaign, Microsoft says "3-martini lunch" tax break should be axed, lawmakers say Flying over Memorial Day? Expect long lines at airports Some great white sharks are getting closer to humans, videos show Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On<doc-sep>Cave rescue of boys soccer team in Thailand Thai Navy SEAL via Facebook All 12 members of a youth soccer team and their coach were successfully rescued from a cave in Thailand where they had been stranded for more than two weeks. Four boys were rescued by expert divers on Sunday, July 8; another four were freed Monday, July 9; and the last four boys and their coach were brought to safety on Tuesday, July 10. Two divers were assigned to each child to help them navigate the dangerous, narrow passageways. Some were brought out on stretchers and all were taken to the hospital. "We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science, or what. All the thirteen Wild Boars are now out of the cave," said a post on the Thai Navy Seals Facebook page, referring to the name of the boys' soccer team. "Everyone is safe." Here, the boys covered in hypothermia blankets are seen in a still image taken from a July 3, 2018, video by Thai Navy SEAL, shortly after they were found alive but trapped deep underground. Stranded Thai Navy SEAL via Facebook The boys, ages 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach became stranded when they went exploring the Tham Luang cave after a practice game. Monsoon flooding blocked off their escape and prevented rescuers from finding them for almost 10 days. Complex mission Thai Navy SEAL via Facebook The operation to rescue them from the cave has been complex and hampered by extreme weather. On July 5, the death of a former Thai navy SEAL, who was placing oxygen canisters into the cave's tunnels, highlighted the risks of the mission. Found Thai Navy SEAL via Facebook An image from video posted June 2, 2018, on the Facebook page of the Thai Navy SEAL team shows the soccer players and their assistant coach stuck deep in Thailand's Tham Luang Nan cave after being found by rescue divers. Joyous volunteers Ye Aung Thu/AFP/Getty Images Volunteers celebrate at a makeshift press centre in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province, Thailand, on July 10 after the last of the 12 boys and their coach were rescued from a flooded cave. Celebration Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images A woman lifts her child near the hospital, seen at left, as ambulance transporting members of the children's soccer team arrives in the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai on July 10 after being rescued from the Tham Luang cave. Relief Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images People react near a hospital where the rescued boys were being treated, in Chiang Rai, Thailand, on July 10. Waiting near the hospital Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images People wait near a hospital where the boys were being treated after being rescued, in Chiang Rai on July 10. Mission accomplished Thai NavySEAL via Facebook The four Thai Navy SEALS who helped rescue the last four boys and their coach from the cave also emerged safely on Tuesday. Onlookers Linh Pham/Getty Images Onlookers watch and cheer as ambulances transport the 10th rescued boy from a helipad near Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital on July 10. Cheers Getty Images Onlookers watch and cheer as ambulances transport some of the rescued schoolboys from a helipad to Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital on July 10. Their whereabouts BBC News Divers located the missing boys and their coach about 300-400 meters past a section of the cave that was on higher ground. A risky mission CBS This graphic illustrates the escape route that rescuers had to navigate to free 12 boys and their soccer coach from the flooded cave. Tight squeeze CBS This graphic illustrates a so-called "pinch point" in the escape route for 12 boys and their soccer coach in a flooded cave. A complex operation CBS News Rescuers have been working nonstop to pump water out of the cave and line escape routes with oxygen tanks. Dozens of international search and rescue experts, including a U.S. military team, have been involved in the attempt to bring the boys and their coach to safety. Schoolmates Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images Classmates of one of the boys trapped in the cave visit a tribute for the Wild Boars soccer team at the entrance of Ban Waingphan school on July 9, 2018 in Chiangrai, Thailand. The search AP Thai rescue workers enter the cave in a photo released by the Royal Thai Navy on Saturday, July 7, 2018. International effort Thai NavySEAL via Facebook The Thai Navy SEAL team posted a photo on Facebook symbolizing the bond and the international effort to rescue the boys and their soccer coach. Strategizing Thai NavySEAL via Facebook A Thai Navy officer tries to figure out a way to pull water out of the cave as quickly as possible. Getting the water out Thai NavySEAL via Facebook Army and Navy officers bring water cylinders to transport rushing and rising water out of the cave. Exploring the cave Thai NavySEAL via Facebook A Thai Navy SEAL explores the cave in preparation for the rescue mission. Rescued Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images Onlookers watch and cheer as ambulances transport some of the rescued soccer players from a helipad to a hospital on July 9. Fifth boy rescued Getty Images Onlookers watch and cheer as a helicopter flies towards an airstrip near Tham Luang Nang Non cave to transport the fifth boy rescued from the cave to hospital on July 9. Classmate Getty Images A classmate of the Wild Boars soccer team talks to the press about his hopes for the group's safe return at the Maisaiprasitart School on July 9. A teammate Getty Images Chill, 14, one of the members of the Wild Boars soccer team who did not enter the cave with his teammates, speaks to the press about his hopes for their safe rescue on July 9. Prayers Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP/Getty Images People pray with Buddhist monks near the hospital where the boys rescued from the cave were brought for observation on July 9. Rescued Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images Onlookers watch and cheer as ambulances transport some of the rescued boys from a helipad to a hospital on July 9.<doc-sep>Dozens of local and international rescuers, including a team of Thai navy divers and several cave experts, had spent the past few days helping to locate the team, but rising and muddy waters that showed no signs of receding stymied efforts and blocked access to chambers of the cave. According to the Associated Press, rescuers drilled a hole into the side of the cave to try to drain the water, while others attempted to find alternative routes inside.<doc-sep>
Four of 12 boys and their soccer coach have been rescued from a Thailand cave. Confidence soared that all 12 boys and their soccer coach will be successfully rescued from a flooded jungle cave in Thailand by the end of Monday after divers safely emerged from the cavern with four of the boys on Sunday. The ordeal of the soccer team has gripped the attention of the world as divers and emergency personnel from around the world have converged on the Chiang Rai province of northern Thailand with the single goal of safely extracting all of them from the bowels of the Tham Luang Nang Non cave, where they have been trapped for 16 days. An hours-long subterranean rescue mission was launched Sunday morning in Thailand, buoyed by the prayers and support of the international community. By nightfall, elite dive teams trudged out of the muddy mouth of the cave with four of the teenage boys. The international effort to save the group has paired divers in "buddy teams" with the remaining eight boys and their coach. Officials hope by the end of Monday local time, all of them will be saved. Chiang Rai provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said late Sunday night in Thailand that the second part of the mission to rescue the others would begin in about 10 to 20 hours after authorities reconvene to assess conditions in the cave and get a briefing on how the initial rescue went. "Today was very successful, more than expected," Osatanakorn said. The first boy emerged from the cave at 5:40 p.m. local time, followed 10 to 20 minutes later the second boy, Osatanakorn said. About two hours later, the third and fourth boys were pulled from the cave 10 minutes apart, he said. The names of the rescued soccer players, members of the Wild Boar youth football team, were not released. Osatanakorn did not comment on their conditions, only saying that they were all safe. The boys were immediately placed into ambulances and rushed to a hospital in Chiang Rai, Osatanakorn said. Doctors and nurses ready with IVs waited in the emergency bay of the hospital and as the boys arrived in separate ambulances, the medical teams sprang into action, transferring the patients onto gurneys and wheeling them into the ER to be thoroughly examined and treated. While news of the miraculous rescue spread through the region, excitement and relief was tapered by the drama still unfolding in the depths of the cave, where the remaining eight boys and their coach were still holed up in a dry chamber more than two miles from the entrance. The task of extracting the remaining members of the group was fraught with dangers heightened by the death on Friday of a volunteer diver who succumbed to fatal oxygen deprivation. Fighting floodwaters, rapidly dropping oxygen levels and racing against an impending monsoon rainstorm, the rescue operation began at 10 a.m. local time when 18 international divers entered the cave. Ten of the diver headed to the chamber deep inside the underground labyrinth. A little over nine hours later, the divers emerged from the cavern with the first rescued boy, authorities said. Osatanakorn said that the oxygen level inside the cave needs to be replenished before rescuers embark on the next phase of the mission. "We should be ready in a short period of time. When the next operation will proceed, I cannot give you a definite time. It's about more than 10 hours away, not more than 20 hours, but we have to observe the conditions," Osatanakorn said. "It has to be stable like today. If it's stable like today, and we are sure, we can operate as soon as possible." The operation to save the once-stranded 13 appeared doubtful just days ago as rescuers from Thailand, the United States, Australia, China and Great Britain brainstormed to find a way to remove the soccer team despite facing treacherous conditions and having to train boys, who did not know how to swim, to perform the most perilous type of diving even for the most experienced Navy SEALs. The high drama in Thailand's longest cave even drew help from American billionaire businessman Elon Musk, whose SpaceX designers set aside their rocketship venture to build a "kid-sized" submarine to free the trapped boys.