The boys and the coach will dive out of the cave one at a time
A dangerous mission to rescue 12 Thai schoolboys and their soccer coach trapped inside a flooded cave for more than two weeks began today and authorities said the first four survivors have emerged in the evening. The boys and coach of the "Wild Boar" football team prepare to be rescued from the cramped chamber several kilometers inside the Tham Luang cave complex, after being trapped inside for fifteen days. The initial euphoria of finding the boys alive tuned into deep anxiety as rescuers raced to find a way to get them out.
The boys and the coach will dive out of the cave one at a time, each accompanied by a member of a team of international and Thai divers. The rescue team is already inside the cave carrying out the operation. The rescued four boys are at a hospital near the cave.
Here are the Live Updates of the rescue operation of the Thai boys from the cave:
The boys, aged between 11 and 16, went missing with their 25-year-old coach after soccer practice on June 23, setting out on an adventure to explore the cave complex near the border with Myanmar and celebrate a boy's birthday, reported news agency Reuters.
Their ordeal has drawn huge media attention in Thailand and abroad, and getting the boys out safely could be a boost for Thailand's ruling junta ahead of a general election next year.
The first two boys have been rescued from the flooded cave and are currently in a hospital near the cave.
Thirteen foreign divers and five members of Thailand's elite navy SEAL unit are trying to bring the boys - some as young as 11 and weak swimmers - through narrow, submerged passageways that claimed the life of a former Thai navy diver on Friday.