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THAILAND-CAVE-ACCIDENT RESCUE -UPDATE
‘Good news’ expected in Thai cave rescue mission
MAE SAI, Thailand, July 9, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Rescue workers dived deep
inside a flooded Thai cave for a second straight day Monday in a treacherous
bid to save a trapped group of young footballers, with the mission chief
promising more “good news” after four of the 13 were saved.
Sunday’s surprisingly quick extraction of the initial batch of four, who
were guided out of a network of flooded tunnels by elite divers, fuelled
optimism that the others would also be quickly rescued.
“All the equipment is ready. Oxygen bottles are ready,” rescue operations
chief Narongsak Osottanakorn told reporters on Monday afternoon after
announcing the second phase of the rescue bid had begun.
“In the next few hours we will have good news.”
Thais have been fixated on the crisis, hoping desperately for the safe
return of the 12 boys and their 25-year-old football coach, after they
ventured into the Tham Luang cave complex after practice and became trapped
by rising waters on June 23.
The saga has also dominated global headlines, with the team spending nine
days unaccounted for inside the cave, before British divers found the
emaciated and dishevelled group huddling on a muddy bank above the flooding.
Authorities then struggled to determine the best way to save the “Wild
Boar” football team, with the group stuck on a shelf more than four
kilometres (2.5 miles) inside the cave in pitch darkness.
Among the ideas were drilling an escape route through the mountain, or
leaving them for months until the monsoon season ended and the flooding
subsided.
But with oxygen levels inside dropping to dangerous lows and the prospect
of heavy rains flooding the area completely, authorities decided they had to
move quickly and take the group out through the water-filled tunnels.
Dozens of foreign divers and other experts from around the world were
brought to help the rescue effort, working alongside Thai Navy SEALs.
– Deadly dangers –
Narongsak described Sunday’s initial rescue bid as “D-Day” when it was
launched, and there were fears that any one of many potential pitfalls could
prove deadly.
Among these were that none of the boys had scuba diving experience, and
that they could easily panic while swimming underwater in darkness.
The death of a former Thai Navy SEAL diver who ran out of oxygen in the
cave on Friday underscored the danger of the journey even for professionals.
But after the first four emerged late on Sunday afternoon, hopes began to
rise of a fairytale ending to the ordeal.
Narongsak on Sunday described their journey out, escorted by elite divers,
as “smooth”.
Crucially, round-the-clock pumping to ease some of the flooding had paid
off.
“The water level is still at a satisfactory level and we have enough teams
to complete the mission,” Narongsak said on Monday.
Thai premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha was also due to visit the rescue operation
late on Monday.
Still, for the relatives of the Wild Boar team members, an agonising wait
continued.
“I am still waiting here at the cave, keeping my fingers crossed to see
whether my son will be one of those to come out today,” Supaluk Sompiengjai,
mother of Pheeraphat — known by his nickname “Night” — told AFP Monday
morning.
“We heard four boys are out but we do not know who they are. Many parents
are still here waiting. None of us has been informed of anything.”
And although the four had been rescued, there were concerns they may have
contracted an illness while in the cave, Narongsak said on Monday.
“They (the four) will be kept away from their parents for a while because
we are concerned about infections,” Narongsak said.
And rain could still re-emerge as a threat, particularly if there are
complications that could delay the extraction further.
Weather forecasters warned heavy rain could hit the area on Monday
afternoon and continue through the week.
Authorities have repeatedly said the rain could re-flood crucial parts of
the cave complex that have been drained and make the escape route much harder
or even impossible to navigate.
And while Narongsak gave an upbeat prediction about Monday’s rescue bid,
he also tempered it with caution about the approaching bad weather.
“We have improved on yesterday’s mission. Today we think we’re ready and
we’ll complete the mission faster because we’re concerned about rain,” he
said.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1630 hrs