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>By KAWEEWIT KAEWJINDA and STEPHEN WRIGHT MAE SAI, Thailand (AP) — “Everyone is safe.” With those three words posted on Facebook the daring rescue mission to extricate 12 boys and their soccer coach from the treacherous confines of a flooded cave in Thailand was complete — a grueling 18-day ordeal that claimed the life of an experienced diver and riveted people worldwide. Thailand’s Navy SEALs, who were central to the rescue effort, celebrated the feat with a post Tuesday evening that read: “All the thirteen Wild Boars are now out of the cave,” — a reference to the boys’ soccer team. “We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science, or what.” Eight of the boys were rescued by a team of Thai and international divers on Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday, the final four boys and their coach were guided out of the cave. Their rescue was followed a few hours later by the safe return of a medic and three SEAL divers who had stayed for days with the boys in their cramped, dry refuge. Cheers erupted from the dozens of volunteers and journalists awaiting news of whether the intricate and high-risk rescue mission had succeeded. Helicopters transporting the boys roared overhead. People on the street cheered and clapped when ambulances ferrying them on the last leg of their journey from the cave arrived at a hospital in Chiang Rai city in far northern Thailand near the Myanmar border. Their joy and relief was echoed around the globe by the multitude of people who had followed the long ordeal. Payap Maiming, who helped provide food and necessities to rescue workers and journalists, noted that fact. “I’m happy for Thais all over the country,” he said. “And actually just everyone in the world because every news channel has presented this story and this is what we have been waiting for.” “It’s really a miracle,” Payap said. “It’s hope and faith that has brought us this success.” Amporn Sriwichai, an aunt of rescued coach Ekkapol Chantawong, was ecstatic. “If I see him, I just want to hug him and tell him that I missed him very much,” she said. The plight of the boys and their coach captivated much of the world — from the heart-sinking news that they were missing, to the first flickering video of the huddle of anxious yet smiling boys when they were found by a pair of British divers 10 days later. The group had entered the sprawling Tham Luang cave to go exploring after soccer practice on June 23, but monsoon rains soon filled the tight passageways, blocking their escape. Each of the boys, ages 11 to 16 and with no diving experience, was guided out by a pair of divers in the three-day high-stakes operation. The route, in some places just a crawl space, had oxygen canisters positioned at regular intervals to refresh each team’s air supply. Highlighting the dangers, a former Thai Navy SEAL died Friday while replenishing the canisters. Cave-diving experts had warned diving the youngsters out was potentially too risky. But Thai officials, acutely aware the monsoon rains could trap the boys for months, seized a window of opportunity provided by relatively mild weather. A massive effort to pump out water made the winding passageways more navigable. And the confidence of the diving team, and expertise specific to the cave, grew after its first successful mission Sunday. “We did something nobody thought possible,” Chiang Rai province acting Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn, leader of the rescue effort, said at a celebratory news conference. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, speaking Tuesday before the final rescue was completed, said the boys were given an anti-anxiety medication to help with their perilous removal from the cave. Asked at a news conference in Bangkok if the boys had been sedated, Prayuth said: “Who would chloroform them? If they’re chloroformed, how could they come out? It’s called anxiolytic, something to make them not excited, not stressed.” Prayuth said the Tham Luang cave would be closed for some time to make it safe for visitors. The first eight boys brought out were doing well and were in good spirits at the hospital. They received a treat on Tuesday: bread with chocolate spread that they had requested. Jedsada Chokdumrongsuk, permanent secretary at the Public Health Ministry, said the boys rescued Sunday were able to eat normal food by Tuesday, though they couldn’t yet take the spicy dishes favored by many Thais. Two of the boys possibly have a lung infection but all eight are generally “healthy and smiling,” he said. “The kids are footballers, so they have high immune systems,” Jedsada told a news conference. “Everyone is in high spirits and is happy to get out. But we will have a psychiatrist evaluate them.” It could be at least a week before they can be released from the hospital, he said. For now the boys were in isolation to try to keep them safe from infections by outsiders. But family members have seen at least some of the boys from behind a glass barrier. It was clear doctors were taking a cautious approach. Jedsada said they were uncertain what type of infections the boys could face “because we have never experienced this kind of issue from a deep cave.” If medical tests show no dangers after another two days, parents will be able to enter the isolation area dressed in sterilized clothing, staying 2 meters (yards) away from the boys, said another public health official, Tosthep Bunthong. John Tangkitcharoenthawon, a local village chairman, was bursting with happiness over the successful rescue. “If this place had a roof, the morale has gone straight through it,” he said. President Donald Trump joined those paying tribute to the rescuers. “On behalf of the United States, congratulations to the Thai Navy SEALs and all on the successful rescue of the 12 boys and their coach from the treacherous cave in Thailand,” he tweeted. “Such a beautiful moment — all freed, great job!”<doc-sep>Rescuers who had gone in to save the last members of the Thai soccer team who had been trapped inside a cave for more than two weeks almost didn't make it out. Officials told ABC News the main pump that had been clearing floodwater from the cave's chambers failed shortly after the final group of boys had been evacuated, leaving rescuers scrambling to haul out of the cave before all three chambers filled with water. At about 9:30 p.m. local time, authorities held a press conference in which they confirmed that everybody was out and celebrated "mission accomplished." Rescuers who had gone in to save the last members of the Thai soccer team who had been trapped inside a cave for more than two weeks almost didn't make it out. Military officials involved in the operation told ABC News that after the last four boys and their coach were safely removed from the cave, members of the rescue team who were still inside noticed the waters were quickly rising. The officials said the main pump that had been clearing floodwater from the cave's chambers failed shortly after the final set of boys had been removed from the cave, leaving rescue divers, support teams, and medics little time to haul out of the cave before all three chambers filled with water. Dozens of military personnel and civilians scrambled to leave the cave site before it flooded, leaving behind hundreds of air tanks belonging to the Thai navy, and other equipment that had been donated by the king of Thailand, the officials added. The Thai navy SEAL Facebook page confirmed that at 9:30 p.m. local time, four of their members who had been involved in the boys' rescue made it out safely. By Tuesday evening, all 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach had been rescued, after surviving 17 days inside the flooded cave in northern Thailand. At least 19 divers were involved in the rescue mission to bring the last four boys and their coach to safety, ending a three-day rescue operation. The third day saw the rescues run quicker and more smoothly than the days prior. The total turnaround for the final five was about 8 hours, 30 minutes. At about 9:30 p.m. local time, authorities held a press conference in which they confirmed that everybody was out of the cave. At the celebratory press conference, mission leader, Narongsak Osatanakorn, also paid tribute to Saman Kunan, the retired Thai navy SEAL who died early in the rescue mission while delivering oxygen to the stranded team members. All 13 Thai soccer team members now face a long medical recovery, which is estimated to last more than a week.<doc-sep>[UPDATED at 11:58 a.m. Eastern, July 10] The cave is empty again. With the rescued safe, it was time for the rescuers to make their own exit. On Tuesday, after 18 days of drama that gripped Thailand and the world, the last people exited the flooded cave complex in which 12 young soccer players and their coach had been trapped. Here are the latest developments. • The four members of the Thai military — one army doctor and three Navy SEAL members — who had stayed with the team for days came out of the cave together. The rescue operation is officially complete. [Go here to read a Q. and A. about why the rescue was so daunting by John Ismay, a Times reporter and former United States Navy diver.] • All members of the Wild Boars soccer team and their 25-year-old coach are safe at the Chiang Rai hospital, the authorities said.<doc-sep>
MAE SAI, Thailand — A daring rescue mission in the treacherous confines of a flooded cave in northern Thailand has saved all 12 boys and their soccer coach who were trapped deep within the labyrinth, ending a grueling 18-day ordeal that claimed the life of an experienced diver and riveted people around the world. Thailand’s Navy SEALs, who were central to the rescue effort, said on their Facebook page that the remaining four boys and their 25-year-old coach were all brought out safely by early Tuesday evening. Several hours later, a medic and three SEAL divers who had stayed for days with the boys in their tiny refuge in the cave also came out. Eight of the boys were rescued by a team of Thai and international divers on Sunday and Monday. “We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science, or what. All the thirteen Wild Boars are now out of the cave,” the SEALs said, referring to the name of the boys’ soccer team. “Everyone is safe.” Cheers erupted at a local government office where dozens of volunteers and journalists were awaiting news of whether the intricate and high-risk rescue mission had succeeded. Helicopters transporting the boys roared overhead. People on the street cheered and clapped when ambulances ferrying them on the last leg of their journey from the cave arrived at a hospital in Chiang Rai city. Amporn Sriwichai, an aunt of the rescued coach, Ekkapol Chantawong, said she was happy and excited. “If I see him, I just want to hug him and tell him that I missed him very much,” she said. Payap Maiming, who helped provide food and necessities to rescue workers and journalists, said a “miracle” had happened. “I’m happy for Thais all over the country,” he said. “And actually just everyone in the world because every news channel has presented this story and this is what we have been waiting for.” “It’s really a miracle,” Payap said. “It’s hope and faith that has brought us this success.” The plight of the boys and their coach has captivated not only Thailand, but much of the world — from the heart-sinking news that they were missing, to the first flickering video of the huddle of anxious yet smiling boys when they were found 10 days later by a pair of British divers. They were trapped in the Tham Luang cave on June 23, when they were exploring it after a soccer practice and it became flooded by monsoon rains. Each of the boys, ages 11 to 16 and with no diving experience, was guided out by a pair of divers in three days of intricate and high-stakes operations. The route, in some places just a crawl space, had oxygen canisters positioned at regular intervals to refresh each team’s air supply. Highlighting the dangers, a former Thai navy SEAL died Friday while replenishing the canisters. Cave-diving experts had warned it was potentially too risky to dive the youngsters out. But Thai officials, acutely aware that the boys could be trapped for months by monsoon rains that would swell waters in the cave system, seized a window of opportunity provided by relatively mild weather. A massive water pumping effort also made the winding cave more navigable. The confidence of the diving team, and expertise specific to the cave, grew after its first successful mission. “We did something nobody thought possible,” Chiang Rai province acting Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn, leader of the rescue effort, said at a celebratory news conference. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, speaking Tuesday before the final rescue was completed, said the boys were given an anti-anxiety medication to help with their perilous removal from the cave. Asked at a weekly news conference in Bangkok if the boys had been sedated, Prayuth said: “Who would chloroform them? If they’re chloroformed, how could they come out? It’s called anxiolytic, something to make them not excited, not stressed.” Prayuth said the Tham Luang cave would be closed for some time to make it safe for visitors. The eight boys brought out by divers on Sunday and Monday were doing well and were in good spirits, a senior health official said. They were given a treat Tuesday: bread with chocolate spread that they had requested. Jedsada Chokdumrongsuk, permanent secretary at the Public Health Ministry, said the first four boys rescued were able to eat normal food, though they couldn’t yet take the spicy dishes favored by many Thais.