"We wish all of the rescue teams the very best and our thoughts are with the boys, their parents and families and the rescue teams that are working tirelessly to achieve what will be a remarkable outcome if all of the boys are able to be rescued from the cave safely." Kittichoke said he hoped to watch the World Cup final with the 12 boys, and that waiting for updates during their time trapped in the Tham Luang cave had been a draining experience. All of the four boys have been sent to the hospital and all of them are safe.”

HOW THE RESCUE HAS UNFOLDED SO FAR

The entire operation to rescue all 13 could last two to four days, depending on weather and water conditions, said army Major General Chalongchai Chaiyakam. The Thai rescue effort has been assisted by experts from around the world, and the death of a former Thai Navy SEAL diver who ran out of oxygen in the cave on Friday underscored the dangers of the mission. The SEALs said on their Facebook page that "the 9th Wild Boar was out of the cave at 4:06 p.m." Tuesday, referring to the name of the trapped boys' soccer team. LISTEN TO OUR REPORTER PAUL TOOHEY IN CHIANG RAI

“It’s wonderful news and we are very relieved that the four boys have been evacuated,” said Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. The 53-year-old anesthetist and cave diving expert from Adelaide played a pivotal role in the rescue, including administering a small sedative to the boys before they exited the cave so they would remain calm on the 1.7km swim to the surface. “But the fact that it took so many hours underscores how precarious this whole mission is.”

MORE: What can still go wrong with Thai cave rescue

The four boys who have been freed so far from the Tham Luang cave where they were trapped for two weeks have been named, as more details emerged of the next stage of the rescue mission. There are reports that British divers Rick Stanton and Joahn Volanthen, who found the boys trapped on a ledge last Monday, are closely involved in the rescue, while an Australian anaesthetist and diver, Richard Harris, gave the four boys a final check before releasing them for the journey on Sunday.
Divers in Thailand rescue the remaining four boys and their coach from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave.