Thread: Cave rescue effort underway in Thailand; may take days, officials say

Cave rescue effort underway in Thailand; may take days, officials say

By Bradford Betz | Fox News
2 hours ago

A rescue effort to free 12 youth soccer players and their 25-year-old coach, who have been trapped in a cave in northern Thailand for two weeks, was underway Sunday, according to reports.

A group of four of the boys was reportedly being led out of the cave, after all of the trapped group underwent training for using scuba equipment, Australia's News.com reported.

Sunday's initial rescue effort was expected to continue into the evening due to the long journey from where the boys are located.

The effort's leader, Chiang Rai acting Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn, said the earliest that the first group of boys was expected to emerge is 9 p.m. local time -- about 11 hours after the start of the operation.

Thai soldiers drag water pipes that will help bypass water from entering a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand Saturday, July 7, 2018. Thai authorities are racing to pump out water from the flooded cave before more rains are forecast to hit the northern region. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai soldiers drag water pipes that will help bypass water from entering a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand, July 7, 2018. (Associated Press)

13 ambulances and helicopters in two separate locations are ready to transport them to hospitals, Osatanakorn said.

The entire mission may last three to four days, as the boys are expected to come out gradually, officials said.

Eighteen divers – 13 international and five Thai – entered the cave around 10 a.m. local time Sunday. The families of the boys and their coach have reportedly been informed that the rescue effort is underway.
Rescuer arrive near cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand Sunday, July 8, 2018. Thai authorities are racing to pump out water from the flooded cave before more rains are forecast to hit the northern region. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Rescuers arrive near a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand, July 8, 2018. (Associated Press)

Rescue and medical teams have been preparing for three days and are ready to treat those who emerge from the cave.

During a news conference Sunday, Thai officials thanked the media for their cooperation in clearing from the rescue area, saying that emergency responders needed space to work.

“We will still maintain our planned mission and the two main obstacles are time and water,” a spokesperson said.

The official said the rescue effort would not proceed until the team was “100 percent ready.”

Weather, water, and the condition of the boys were “factors affecting the readiness” of the rescue attempt.

Drilling has been ruled out as a possibility in the rescue attempt, one official said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/07...cials-say.html

It's 1:30 pm now in Thailand so they entered about 3.5 hours ago, so at least 8 hours more before the first group will be brought to safety. So maybe by 11 am our time tomorrow, we'll have some good news for these first 4 boys. Nerve-wracking.

Originally Posted by Judy

It's 1:30 pm now in Thailand so they entered about 3.5 hours ago, so at least 8 hours more before the first group will be brought to safety. So maybe by 11 am our time tomorrow, we'll have some good news for these first 4 boys. Nerve-wracking.

Not nerve-wracking for me, not at all.

Forgive me for not being personally concerned about a human interest stories almost 9,000 miles from here. Right now I'm more worried about the alarming rate our veterans, especially homeless veterans, are committing suicide, number of Americans being killed by illegal aliens, murders and level of violent crime in our inner cities, soaring drug overdose rate among our youth, large number of American children suffering abuse (1 in 100), etc., etc.

Sorry, I know I sound cold, but I'm just too concerned about the problems in my own country to worry about what's happening in Thailand.

I hope they get out safely...but I am more concerned about the state of affairs in our country.

All the people in Hawaii who lost homes to the volcano, the raging fires on the CA/OR border, our drought, hurricane season, floods and tornadoes. The people with no homes from last years hurricanes, our Veteran's our homeless.

But people are rioting for FREE housing, welfare, food stamps and FREE medical care and education for illegal aliens! And scumbag "refugees" from the Congo and all over the World come here, climb OUR Statue of Liberty, destroy our property and DEMAND rights marching in our streets. It is unbelievable! Deport them all, I am sick to death of them.

I am VERY concerned about the MASSIVE INVASION of our country by legal, illegal, asylum, TPS, work visa's, permanent green cards! and every FOREIGNER on the planet coming here and the major impact this will have on our natural resources and their overbreeding and crime they bring.

4 boys from Thai soccer team rescued from flooded cave, next phase to begin in 'about' 10 hours

By Katherine Lam
55 minutes ago

Four boys have been rescued from a cave in Thailand and sent to the hospital; Dr. Michael Baden shares insight.

Four members of a Thai youth soccer team were rescued from a cave in northern Thailand on Sunday, leaving another eight boys and their soccer coach in the flooded cavern after 18 divers began a daring mission to bring home the group who have been trapped in the flooded cavern for more than two weeks.

The first boy rescued exited the cave 5:40 p.m. local time, followed by three of his team members shortly after, Chiang Rai provincial acting Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said in a Sunday night news conference. The boys traveled 0.62 miles underwater before they reached safety.

They were taken to the hospital — three by helicopter and one by ambulance — once they were out of the cave.

The conditions of the boys were not released, but the head of joint command center coordinating the search said he met with the children and described them as being in “perfect” health and called today’s mission the “best situation.”

"The operation went much better than expected," Narongsak said about the rescue, which began at 10 a.m. Sunday local time.

Officials estimated the first phase of the rescue would take 12 hours, giving the divers six hours into the cave and back.

Sunday’s mission, however, took 7 hours and 40 minutes.

The 12 boys and soccer coach have been trapped in the northern Thailand cave for more than two weeks. (AP)

The next phase of the rescue operation to free the eight boys and their 25-year-old soccer coach will begin in 10 to 20 hours to allow divers to replenish oxygen supplies and evaluate the plan in place.

Rain may also delay the second phase. Heavy rain was soaking northern Thailand Sunday night after officials announced the mission was halted for the night. Incoming monsoon rains had been a concern because it could once again flood the cave and deplete oxygen levels.

A group of 18 divers — 13 foreign and five Thai — began the operation to bring the boys, ages 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach out of the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province after the area saw mild weather and falling water levels in the cave. Ambulances and helicopters were on standby Sunday at the cave site to take anyone rescued from the cave to a hospital.

The rescue operation began at 10 a.m. Sunday. (Reuters)

“Today is a D-Day for our operation,” Narongsak said Saturday.

"I confirm that we are at war with water and time from the first day up to today," Narongsak added. "Finding the boys doesn't mean we've finished our mission. It is only a small battle we've won, but the war has not ended. The war ends when we win all three battles — the battles to search, rescue and send them home."

'DON'T BLAME YOURSELF,' PARENT OF TRAPPED THAI YOUTH WRITES TO BOYS' COACH

The start of the rescue mission brought in a sense of optimism over people in Thailand. In total, more than 50 international divers and 40 Thai divers have taken part of the rescue operation. Rescuers part of the Thai navy SEAL partaking in the operation posted on Facebook showing hands locked with a caption vowing to bring the boys home.

Eighteen divers entered the cave to rescue the 12 boys and their soccer coach on Sunday. (Thai Navy SEAL)

"We, the Thai team and the international team, will bring the Wild Boars home,” referencing the boys’ soccer team name.

Though four boys have been rescued as of Sunday night, the mission to extract the rest could take two to four days depending on the conditions in the cave. The acting Chiang Rai governor had said rescuers couldn’t wait for perfect weather conditions because of several factors.

The boys and their coach became stranded when they went exploring in the cave after a practice game June 23. Monsoon flooding cut off their escape and prevented rescuers from finding them for almost 10 days.

The divers began the operation at 10 a.m. Sunday local time to bring the boys, ages 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach out of the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province.

The Thai Navy said Saturday three navy SEALs, one a doctor, were with the boys and coach. The 13 were having health evaluations and rehabilitation, and were being taught diving skills. Food, electrolyte drinks, drinking water, medicine and oxygen canisters have been delivered to them.

Rescuers have been working to drain the cave enough to bring the boys out. (AP)

"Don't be worried, I miss everyone. Grandpa, Uncle, Mom, Dad and siblings, I love you all. I'm happy being here inside, the navy SEALs have taken good care. Love you all," wrote one of the boys named Mick.

President Trump tweeted the U.S. is "working very closely" with the Thai government during the rescue mission.

"The U.S. is working very closely with the Government of Thailand to help get all of the children out of the cave and to safety. Very brave and talented people!" Trump tweeted.

Fox News’ Jeff Paul in Mae Sai, Thailand, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/07...cial-says.html

Trump: US 'working very closely' with Thailand to rescue children

By Eli Watkins, CNN
Updated 2:40 PM ET, Sun July 8, 2018

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday morning that the US is working with the Thai government to rescue children trapped in a flooded cave.

"The U.S. is working very closely with the Government of Thailand to help get all of the children out of the cave and to safety. Very brave and talented people!" Trump tweeted.

As Trump tweeted, images and reports were coming in of the rescue operation underway, including the news that some boys had been evacuated successfully from the cave in northern Thailand.

The 12 boys, all members of a soccer team, and their coach went missing last month. They were found in a cave several days ago where they have been trapped for more than two weeks.

The rescue operation Sunday comes amid mounting international concern about the safety of the group stuck deep in the flooded cave. A former Thai navy SEAL died on Friday in the cave in the effort to bring the group back safely.

A US military official said there were 36 US Pacific Command military personnel involved in the rescue operation, mostly from Kadena Air Base in Japan. The group included 12 search-and-rescue team members, including divers, who were not expected to participate directly in the rescue dives, and civilian and military personnel from the US embassy also are involved, the official said. US officials helped to brief Thai officials on Friday about the proposed operation.

In addition to the US support for Thailand, CNN previously reported the effort includes experts and volunteer divers from Europe, Asia and Australia.

CNN's Ryan Browne contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with more specific information from the Pentagon.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/08/polit...and/index.html

Four more rescued, leaving 4 boys and the coach as I understand it. Maybe they can get out by tomorrow. What a nightmare!

2 more boys out, 2 boys and 1 coach remaining. They say they hope to get the other 2 boys out today, maybe the coach also. He might have to wait until tomorrow.

Update: Another boy out, so 11 out of 12 boys out of the cave. 1 boy, 1 coach, 1 doctor and 3 Thai navy SEALS remaining.

All boys and coach out!!! HURRAY!!!

Now the doctor and last 3 SEALS to go. Please let them all get out alive.