Thai Soccer Team Still Trapped In Cave, Water Getting Pumped Out With Heavy Rain Expected
After being stuck for over two weeks in a Thailand cave, four members of the boys’ soccer team have been rescued, according to the provincial governor.
The boys were immediately taken to a hospital near the cave to be checked out, later being flown 37 miles to a hospital in Chiang Rai. Governor of the Chiang Rai province, Narongsak Osatanakorn, said the hospital has reserved a whole floor for the rescue effort.
The remaining eight players and their 25-year-old coach must wait until Monday since all of the rescue equipment was exhausted in Sunday’s mission, Osatanakorn said.
With heavy rain in the forecast, the rescue operation is becoming even more urgent.
A graphic released by the Thai government indicates that two divers will be paired with each person and will be fitted for a face mask connected to a compressed air tank. Where the cave particularly narrow, the tanks will be rolled instead of attached to their backs.
Currently, water levels are the lowest they have been during the rescue effort. Officials say the first few chambers of the cave that were previously flooded are now dry. Oxygen levels have also been stabilized, which was a big concern since the chamber they are stuck in was filling with carbon dioxide.
However, experts say the risks remain high for the boys, ages 11 to 16, and their coach.
Two members of the British Cave Rescue Council were the ones to originally discover the group after nine days of disappearance. Tony Haigh, the spokesman for the council, highlighted issues that may strike during the rescue mission.
“Clearly there is a huge risk of someone panicking if they are not used to the diving environment. It happens to adults in the open water, never mind children in a dark cave,” Haigh said. “I’ve no doubt some will be more apprehensive than others.”
Since being discovered, the group has been given extensive diving lessons, but none of the boys can swim.
Additional diving teams that are joining the effort include the United States, Europe, Australia and China.
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