The world let out a collective sigh when we learned that a missing team of 12 boys and their coach were found alive in a network of caves in Thailand after nine days.
However, there is no word yet on exactly when or how they’ll be rescued from the cave.
The boys are aged 11 to 16-years-old and their coach is 25. They are members of the Wild Boar soccer team. They are believed to have entered the cave complex in Chiang Rai province after training on a nearby field.
Their bicycles, backpacks and soccer shoes were found near the cave’s entrance.
Heavy rains ended up flooding the cave passages and trapping them inside.
The boys were found by Thai Navy SEALs barefoot and huddled on a small steep rock, dry but on a mud-covered incline that is surrounded by water in a pitch-black chamber.
“We found them safe. But the operation isn’t over,” Chiang Rai Gov. Narongsak Osotthanakorn told The Associated Press, according to the NPR. “When the medics have evaluated the kids to see if their health is in good condition, we will care for them until they have enough strength to move by themselves, and then we will evaluate the situation on bringing them out again later.”
The team is still stuck 1.24 miles deep into the cave which is .6 miles below the surface. The reason why a few divers were able to reach the boys is that they are experienced.
It’s extremely dangerous to navigate the difficult terrain.
On top of dealing with fast-flowing muddy water and flooded channels, it’s also monsoon season in Thailand. Right now there are pumps running to drain the cave complex but a downpour could thwart those efforts.
“Cave diving is incredibly dangerous for people who are very experienced doing it. And now you’re looking at taking people who have no experience or very little experience with diving and putting them into a complete blackout situation, where they have to rely on a regulator and the tanks with them to breathe,” Anmar Mirza, a cave rescue expert, told CNN.
The team is being sent four months worth of food.
Some people interpret this as a sign that authorities are waiting until the rainy season is over in October to rescue the team. But that might not even be an option because of the porous rock inside the caves.
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“It’s a giant sponge so if the water rises anywhere on the water table, it affects the whole cave system,” Tim Taylor an ocean explorer and underwater robotics expert told CNN.
They might end up having to teach the kids to cave dive in order to get them out.
“You don’t have to swim to dive. The equipment does the work for you — you just have to be comfortable … to overcome that fear and learn. That is what’s going to be difficult to teach,” Taylor said. “It’s not impossible… it’s not going to be done in a day. I would imagine they are going to take some time to train these kids.”
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