CHIANG RAI — The governor of Chiang Rai announced at
about 10:30pm on Monday that Navy SEALS have located all missing youths
and and their coach from the cave they went missing in nine days ago.
The news was immediately with cheering as word spread that despite
diminishing hopes after a long and difficult rescue operation, all
footballers were found inside the Luang Khun Nam Nang Non Cave complex
in Chiang Rai tonight.
Rescuers had been pushing toward a chamber where they had pinned
their best hopes on the possibility of finding the football team and
coach who had vanished inside on a visit sparking a massive rescue
effort including the military and teams from the United States, Japan,
China, Australia and more
According to a brief press conference held, the immediate plans are
to pump water out the cave and transport doctors and nurses to their
location according Gov. Narongsak Osottanakorn. They will assess the
conditions of all 13 – 12 footballers aged 11-16 and their 25-year-old
coach – before determining the best course of action to extracting them
safely.
Rescue teams recently set up a base camp inside the cave
spending days battling mud, flooding and torrents of rain. The rain let
up in the last days of the search, which helped lower water levels while
drilling wells to help succeeded after days of disappointment.
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Dozens of shafts found on hills above the cave were also explored to
see if some could provide access to the missing 13. Care packages with
food, notes, maps and flashlights were dropped through them this last
few days in a hope that the boys might found them.
The 12 boys and coach went missing June 23 after football practice.
It prompted one of the biggest and most intense search and rescue
missions in the nation’s history which saw support pouring in from
across the country and the world.
Experts from Myanmar and Laos also joined the effort led by about
1,000 soldiers, rescue workers and volunteers from several government
departments and private organizations.
Another news conference will be held at about 3am.
