Rescuers do not want to delay their exit due to upcoming rains and the possibility of more flooding in cave.
ALL 13 survivors are now familiarising
themselves with diving gear as rescue planners concluded yesterday that
they will have to dive through floodwaters to get out of the Tham Luang
cave, where they have been stranded since June 23.
“The fittest of the survivors will be the first to come out,” Narongsak
Osotanakorn, the head of the rescue operations, said yesterday. “Others
will follow.”
The former Chiang Rai governor spoke as the floodwater level inside the
cave subsided thanks to the powerful pumps, well-connected tubes, and
diversion of the natural water flow around the Tham Luang cave system.
The easing of the flood situation has raised the prospects of helping
the 13 footballers come out of the cave where they have spent 11 days.
“The floodwater level has been dropping by one centimetre per hour. If
we can maintain this momentum, it should be safe enough to bring the
kids out soon,” Narongsak said. On Tuesday, the US Cave Rescue
Commission’s national coordinator Anmar Mirza said that while diving was
the quickest option to bring the survivors out, it was also the “most
dangerous” option.
But the option of letting the survivors stay inside the cave until the
floodwaters completely receded was yesterday ruled out amid the
significant risk of impending heavy downpours that could again leave the
cave flooded. The 10-kilometre-long cave in Chiang Rai province is
normally flooded between July and November every year. On Monday night,
experienced cave divers from Britain found the missing football team at a
spot about 5km from the cave’s entrance.
The 13 survivors will stay put at their current location while detailed
preparations are being made for their safe evacuation. They have been
joined by Royal Thai Navy SEALs and are also supplied with soft food,
water, light, medicine, thermal blankets and diving gear.
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Learning to dive
The survivors were yesterday taught to wear full-face masks and practice breathing.
Medics, including Army doctor Colonel Pak Loharachun, have completed
health checks for all team members and found them relatively healthy. A
video clip released yesterday showed the footballers had minor wounds
and were apparently eager to leave the cave. One footballer asked, “Can
we go out today?” Pak told the boys to be patient, explaining that
despite his diving skills it took him six hours to move from the third
chamber of the cave to the current location of the survivors.
The third chamber of the cave, which is about two kilometres from the
entrance, is now operating as the forward command of the rescue
operations. Lighting and communication devices have been installed there
and also supplied with oxygen tanks, medicine and all other necessary
supplies.
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From the third chamber to the flooded T-junction is a distance of about
800 metres. From that intersection, there is a narrow and completely
submerged passage that requires rescue teams to dive to get through. The
floodwater level there was nearly five metres as of press time.
After getting out of this narrow passage, rescue teams have to climb and
hike a stretch of 400 metres. This zone is dry. Then, they have to dive
for about another 130 metres to reach the so-called Pattaya Beach. Then
the team must walk further over the beach before making another
400-metre-long dive to reach the slope where the survivors have
gathered.
All these survivors will have to be taught to swim and dive before being escorted out.
Even with diving experts by their side, the team will have to dive and
swim on their own at some points in the journey out of the cave.
The two Britons who first located the missing victims – Richard Stanton
and John Volanthen – have remained with the rescue team to help with the
safe evacuation. The other British expert, Robert Harper, who was in
his 70s, had to leave Chiang Rai province yesterday, though, to undergo a
medical check-up in his homeland.
A rescue team from the United States Indo-Pacific Command has also vowed
to support the operations at the Tham Luang cave until all 13 survivors
are safely brought out.
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Source - TheNation
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