Missing Thai soccer boys and coach are found alive in cave, EVERYONE is out of the cave!

[robinb]

A soccer coach and 12 boys on the team went into a cave 9 days ago in Thailand and flooding trapped them in the cave and prevented help from getting to them. They have just been found and they are all still alive! What great news!

 

[mamamary]

I just saw this online a few minutes ago. I check about those boys everyday. It brought tears to my eyes. Sounds like it will take some work to get them out though.

 

[Kitty 34]

I was so happy to read that!!!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

That's amazing! I was worried.

 

[Dancind]

It's so nice to hear some good news!

 

[DopeyDame]

That is so amazing!!!!
Such awesome news.

 

[Imzadi]

YES!!! WooHoo! Glad to hear this is STILL a rescue operation and not a recovery operation.

 

[cabanafrau]

Fantastic that these scared kids and coach will get to be reunited with their no doubt anxious families.

 

[Imzadi]

It brought tears to my eyes. Sounds like it will take some work to get them out though.

Purposely tuned into the news after seeing this thread. Saw the first video of the boys. Yes, it brought tears to my eyes too.

So glad all the kids & the coach were healthy enough to survive not having food or meds for all those days. If any of them had died, especially the coach, it would have sent all of them into a (worse) panic and could have ended in more fatalities as they gave up.

 

[Kimberle]

I have been following this story. So glad they are found alive! Keeping them in my prayers they can safely get them out. As the path is through water, it's going to be an ordeal. The kids need food and water, first, to give them strength.

 

[robinb]

Purposely tuned into the news after seeing this thread. Saw the first video of the boys. Yes, it brought tears to my eyes too.

So glad all the kids & the coach were healthy enough to survive not having food or meds for all those days. If any of them had died, especially the coach, it would have sent all of them into a (worse) panic and could have ended in more fatalities as they gave up.

I cried when the message come across my phone. I just saw the video, what brave boys!

 

[Jennasis]

I read that the team may have to wear diving equipment and dive their way (assisted of course) out of the cave. That's gotta be scary. As tired and dehydrated and disoriented as they are.

 

[Imzadi]

I read that the team may have to wear diving equipment and dive their way (assisted of course) out of the cave. That's gotta be scary. As tired and dehydrated and disoriented as they are.

They may have to set up an underwater relay team. Kind of like when the Olympic torch gets passed around the world, from runner to runner. Only this will be live kids and strong rescue divers with wingmen swimming along side with each diver & kid. The kids would probably be strapped on and hopefully not have to do much work at all. Hopefully, there are pockets of air in sections where they could come up, stop, check on the kid, change divers, who were waiting at the relay, then swim to the next part of the relay and switch divers again until they finally make it out.

 

[Dan Murphy]

They are talking about bringing in a 4 month supply of food and water. Could be an extended time before they are all out.

 

[mom2rtk]

What great news! Prayers that there are no issues in the rescue operation and these boys are all home with their families soon.

 

[Imzadi]

They are talking about bringing in a 4 month supply of food and water. Could be an extended time before they are all out.

Aren't there underwater, jet propulsion thingies that look like long torpedoes, that divers hang onto handles on the back ends of, and it pulls the divers along? I wonder if the kids are just simply too weak, at this point to make the underwater journey, even just strapped on to a diver's back, and they need to build back up their strength first? In the video, the legs of a couple kids up front could be seen. They look like scrawny, well eaten chicken leg bones.

 

[robinb]

Aren't there underwater, jet propulsion thingies that look like long torpedoes, that divers hang onto handles on the back ends of, and it pulls the divers along? I wonder if the kids are just simply too weak, at this point to make the underwater journey, even just strapped on to a diver's back, and they need to build back up their strength first? In the video, the legs of a couple kids up front could be seen. They look like scrawny, well eaten chicken leg bones.

Cave diving is very dangerous and the chambers can be very tight.

 

[Dancind]

10 year old boys can practically waste away in 10 days, I'm sure they are very weak. Hope they can get out soon.

 

[Imzadi]

Cave diving is very dangerous and the chambers can be very tight.

The news just showed a side view, mock up of the cave. It looked like mountainy, jagged terrain on the floor, only with an enclosed, yes, sometimes very tight & low "roof" on top. It doesn't look like they can get in very big or sophisticated equipment through a lot of areas. And it doesn't look like they can just carry the kids out on flat stretchers or carry them on their backs. A single, able-bodied person will have a rough time getting though some parts.

 

[Imzadi]

For people, like me, who haven't been watching it all on the news, here are two drawings of the cave and all the rescue teams had to go through, and what they have to get back through to bring the kids & coach back through.

Side view: (The ground is much more jagged than this smooth mock up.)

An "arial view" of the windy directions and distance to the different chambers.
Thank goodness they soccer team made the fork in the cave in the right direction to high ground.