T his graphic shows the extraordinary route through a narrow and winding cave system to where 12 Thai boys were trapped for two weeks. The huge Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province stretches under a mountainside for up to 6 miles. Much of its string of now flooded passageways lead to wide chambers and then back to passageways, while the rocky and muddy ground makes several changes in elevation along the way. The British Cave Rescue Council estimated the boys were about 1.2 miles into the cave and just over half a mile below the surface. Other estimates put them as far as 2.5 miles into the cave. Rescue: How the boys were led from the cave by divers The boys, aged between 11 and 16, were discovered on July 2 after they had been missing for nine days. Rescuers then began the crucial task of getting them and their football coach out - with the first eight boys rescued on Sunday and Monday. The boys had been missing for nine days when they were found / MailOnline The entire football team trapped were freed on Tuesday after the boys were brought out in stages. Their 25-year-old coach was also rescued after completing the perilous swim to safety. All 12 boys rescued from flooded cave in Thailand The third and final phase of the rescue operation began on Tuesday morning, with 19 divers involved in guiding members of the young football team through dark, narrow, underwater passages. Officials confirmed that all four boys had been freed alive and were being assessed in hospital. Two were said to be suffering from pneumonia.<doc-sep>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>The four survivors rescued on Monday have all been hospitalized in Chiang Rai, the nearest large city, Mr. Narongsak said. “All of them are safe and conscious,” he said. Those rescues bring the total to eight, after two days of pulling team members from the cave. Twelve players of the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach were trapped in the flooded cave complex on June 23. “2 days, 8 Boars,” said a message on the Thai Navy SEALS Facebook page. Officials have declined to identify any of the people who have been rescued or those who remain in the cave. One good sign for the next stage of the operation is that the pace of the rescue was considerably quicker on the second day. On Sunday, it took 11 hours to bring out four people. But on Monday, it took only nine hours to bring out the next four, he said. He said that was in part because the divers had become more skilled in maneuvering through the cave’s flooded passageways while holding the boys below them. It also helped that more than 100 people participated in the operation, more than on the first day, he said. Mr. Narongsak said he was optimistic about the chances of bringing out all of the remaining five on Tuesday. “We think we will do it better and the success will be 100 percent,” he said. Officials said that a new weir, or low dam, built outside the cave was helping to keep water levels relatively stable within. The weather was cooperating, too: After a day of torrential downpours on Sunday, things cleared up on Monday.<doc-sep>Divers pulling the 12 boys and their soccer coach from the cave were in a race against time, with the threat of rains making an already difficult rescue even more urgent. Mr. Narongsak, commander of the rescue operation, said it could take days to recover the full team. The boys and their coach are being brought out one at a time by 13 foreign cave divers and five Thai Navy SEAL divers, Mr. Narongsak said. He said the boys had been preparing for days to come out through long, flooded passageways that are challenging even for the most skilled cave divers, who must navigate openings so narrow that only one person can go through at a time. Each boy will have two divers trying to bring him out. Further complicating the operation is that some of the boys do not know how to swim, said divers participating in the rescue effort. Ambulances and helicopters are standing by to transport them to a hospital for medical treatment. “Everyone knows exactly what they have to do, because any confusion in there would be really bad,” Mr. Narongsak told a packed news conference. He said this was the best chance to bring out the boys safely. “We believe there are no days when we have been readier than today,” Mr. Narongsak said. “If we don’t do the rescue on the day when we are readiest, we might lose the opportunity to carry out this mission.” Mr. Narongsak announced that the rescue had begun after officials had cleared the area outside the cave of journalists.<doc-sep>
Thailand cave rescue: The route the boys will have to take Those trapped - 12 boys between the ages of 11 and 16 and their 25-year-old football coach - have been awaiting rescue since June 23. Four boys were successfully rescued on Sunday during a gruelling eight-hour rescue operation. The five still underground will spend their 17th night in the cave while rescue teams rest and prepare to bring them home. Authorities are unable to say whether all five will be brought to the surface together as they continue to navigate the risky rescue operation. A rescue diver from the Thai Navy SEALs died trying to exit the cave last week, highlighting the dangerous situation the boys and their rescuers still face. What happened in the Thailand cave today? Operations kicked off at about 5am BST (11am Thai time) when a team of 18 elite Thai and international divers entered the cave. They were accompanied by about 80 other rescue workers aiding the treacherous operation. At about 10.30am BST (4.30pm local time) a fifth child was seen being carried from the cave on a stretcher. By 12.30pm BST the sixth and seventh boys were freed and the eighth was confirmed out at about 1pm BST. Thai cave rescue: Rescuers head in for the second day of evacuations Thai cave rescue: This map shows the route the boys must take to escape By 1.30pm (7.30pm Thai time), rescue crews suspended the work for the night. Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the operation, said: “We are so happy that today we could rescue another four kids. Now they are fine.” All four were airlifted to a hospital in the nearby city of Chiang Rai. Monday’s operation shaved two hours off the time spent freeing the first four boys on Monday, officials said. Thai cave rescue: Shields are used to protect a boy from the public as he is airlifted to hospital Thai cave rescue: A tarpaulin protects the boys from the public as they arrive at hospital Mr Osatanakorn said: “We had a bigger operation team and we were more skilful.” The next operation is planned for launch by 10am tomorrow (4pm local time), but there is no guarantee all five will be freed on Tuesday. Mr Osatanakorn said: "It’s down to weather conditions and our plan. We’ve set a plan for four but if we want to rescue five, those responsible will have to adjust the plan. “We can’t overrule the diving team because it involves safety." Thai cave rescue: The boys have captured hearts around the world