LONDON, July 13, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The British diver who found 12 Thai boys
and their coach trapped alive in a flooded cave has described his “massive
relief” as he counted them one by one, in what he called an unprecedented
rescue operation.
Richard Stanton, one of a pair of British caving experts who located the
“Wild Boars” team, gave reporters Friday a first-hand account of the moment
he saw the boys emerge from behind a rock face onto a muddy ledge kilometres
(miles) inside the Tham Luang cave.
“That was a massive, massive relief. Initially we weren’t certain they
were all alive — as they were coming down I was counting them until I got to
13,” he said.
“We couldn’t see them initially — they had to come round the corner.”
The discovery prompted the stunning rescue of the boys which captivated
Thailand and the world, with the final members finally emerging safely
Tuesday after 18 days underground.
In order to rescue the boys, divers had to contend with a treacherous
escape route made up of narrow, water-filled tunnels, with the threat of
heavy rain injecting urgency to the bid.
The mission was “an order of difficulty much higher than anything that’s
been accomplished anywhere around the world by any other cave diving team,”
said Stanton.
Footage of the moment Stanton and John Volanthen discovered the 12
dishevelled and emaciated boys was viewed millions of times after it was
posted on the official Facebook page of Thai Navy SEAL, prompting hope for
their rescue.
“You hear on the video, John said ‘How many?’,” Stanton said. “I’d already
counted them, they were already there.”
Fellow diver Chris Jewell provided new details of the operation,
describing how Thai authorities had diverted rivers on the mountaintop to
help control water levels in the cave.
The measure “brought us additional time to get this outcome,” Jewell said.
Stanton rejected suggestions the divers were heroes.
“We were just using a very, very unique skill set which we normally use
for our own interest,” he said. “Sometimes we are able to use that to give
something back to the community and that’s what we did.”