Soccer team found alive after nine days trapped in cave
Rescue teams have found 12 boys and their soccer coach alive in a cave in Thailand nine days after the group went missing. The boys, aged between 11 and 16 years old and are all members of the Wild Boar soccer team, entered the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system on Saturday, June 23, for a team outing, but became stranded in the dark tunnels by a sudden and continuous downpour. The international rescue operation -- which includes the Thai Navy SEALs as well as experts from the US, China, Australia and the UK -- had been working to reach a large, deep chamber, informally known as Pattaya Beach, where the missing boys were believed to have taken refuge.
“I confirm they are all safe,” Narongsak Osottanakorn, governor of the local region Chiang Rai, told reporters on Monday night. Osottanakorn said the rescuers had reached Pattaya Beach but found it was flooded. The Thai Navy SEAL divers continued a further 300 to 400 meters where they located the team. The Thai Navy released a video on Facebook apparently showing the moment the group were found. In the almost 5-minute clip, the boys are illuminated by torchlight while a diver can be heard speaking to them. “How many of you?” one of the rescuers calls out in English, before a faint “Thirteen!” is heard in response. “Thirteen? Brilliant!” the rescuer says, before continuing: “We are coming, it’s OK, many people are coming ... we are the first.” The rescuer tells them: “You are very strong, very strong.”
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