CHIANG RAI: An operation to evacuate 12 Thai boys and their football coach from the flooded Tham Luang cave complex in northern Thailand entered its second leg on Monday (Jul 9), after a pause overnight to replenish oxygen tanks.
Authorities on late Sunday declared their mission “more successful than (they had) hoped for”, with four of the 12 stranded boys making the perilous journey out with the aid of local and foreign divers.
Eight more boys and their 25-year-old coach remain in the cave complex, where they have been trapped since Jun 23.
10.20am: Gloomy skies in the vicinity of the cave – a reminder of a looming thunderstorm that might complicate the rescue effort. It rained overnight as well. The rescue mission chief had said to expect the replenishing of oxygen tanks to take anywhere between 10 and 20 hours, so it’s a waiting game right now for everyone following the events at Tham Luang.
Giving everyone heart is the first images of Sunday’s rescue operation. The four boys who were ferried out by up to 90 divers from Thailand and all over the world, are now in hospital.
10.40am: Meanwhile, netizens are sharing artwork to cheer the Wild Boars and the rescue team on.
WATCH: First video of the boys rescued from Tham Luang
Here’s a recap of the challenges rescuers face:
The boys and their coach will have to navigate narrow passages and mud-clogged water with almost zero visibility to get out of the cave complex.
Watch our explainer on conditions inside: