Thai soccer team trapped in cave will get food, diving practice

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Twelve boys and their football coach, who have been trapped in a Thai cave for 10 days, will get four months’ worth of food as well as diving training in an attempt to get them out safely, the military said.

The boys, aged between 11 and 16, were discovered with their 25-year-old coach late Monday, huddled on a ledge nine days after they became trapped in a pitch black cave hemmed by rising floodwaters.

Much-needed food and medical supplies – including high-calorie gels and paracetamol – reached them Tuesday.

"(We will) prepare to send additional food to be sustained for at least four months and train all 13 to dive while continuing to drain the water," Navy Captain Anand Surawan said, according to a statement from Thailand's Armed Forces.

Relatives share photos after the 12 boys and their football coach are found alive in Chiang Rai, Thailand, July 2, 2018. /VCG Photo

Chiang Rai provincial governor Narongsak Osottanakorn noted however that the boys will have to bear their ordeal for longer, while rescuers work out how to bring them safely out.

"If you ask me now while we are still assessing all sides then I don't think they will be home soon," he said.

Narongsak had broken the news of the boys’ rescue late Monday.

"We found all 13 safe... we will take care of them until they can move," he told reporters, who broke into spontaneous applause and cheering.

Divers carrying equipment enter the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex in northern Thailand, July 2, 2018. /VCG Photo

The dramatic rescue efforts have been closely followed ever since the boys went missing on June 23. Until rescuers found them on Monday night, there had been no contact with them for nine days.

Two British divers, working with a team of Thai navy SEAL, were first to reach the boys, finding them about 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) from the mouth of the cave.

Dramatic footage shot by rescuers and shared on the official Facebook page of the Thai Navy SEALS showed the boys clad in shorts and red and blue shirts crowded together on a small mud cliff surrounded by water.

"How many of you are there – 13? Brilliant," a member of the multinational rescue team, speaking in English, tells the boys.

"You have been here 10 days. You are very strong." "Thank you," one of the boys says.

One of the boys asks when they will get out of the cave, to which the rescuer answers: "Not today. You have to dive."

Chiang Rai provincial governor Narongsak Osottanakorn addresses journalists, July 3, 2018. /VCG Photo

The football team went into the cave on June 23 after a training session and became stranded when heavy rains cut them off from the entrance.

On Monday, overjoyed relatives who had clustered near the site in an increasingly desperate vigil hugged and smiled as news of the miracle rescue filtered back.

Rescuers now have to decide how best to get the group out in their weakened condition. According to Narongsak, the boys had sustained light injuries.

Women pray near the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex in northern Thailand, June 28, 2018. /VCG Photo

Options being considered included waiting until water levels subsided, or teaching the group to use diving gear to navigate through the complex underground system, which is still partially submerged.

At 10 kilometers long, Tham Luang cave is one of Thailand's longest and one of the toughest to navigate, with its snaking chambers and narrow passageways.

A sign outside the site warns visitors not to enter the cave during the rainy season between July and November.

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters