They have been found but haven’t been rescued, since they need to try to pump the caves or if that fails, dive them out.

Great they have been found - the Search part is done, now it’s Resuce time.

One of they boys reminded the search team to bring food next trip.

They can't bring them out yet. The divers had to fight some pretty good currents to get to the group. Right now, they are taking in food to get them back to strength. If the water can't be pumped out enough, they are going to teach all of them the basics of SCUBA diving before trying to escort them out.

Another thought right now is to get them out to the next high spot. If they can do that, they will bring in communications to let them talk to the outside while they find a safe way out.

The report I heard just a bit ago says that they are in pretty good spirits and shape. There are only a couple of minor injuries. They have medical personnel staying with them to monitor their recovery.

Great news!

I’ve been following this story for the last 5 days, from a logistics and S&R perspective it was an amazing operation. The video shows that the initial contact was made by the British cave divers. A Thai official stated today they would likely have to wait for the water to recede and it could be months until that happens.

Can't imagine being trapped in the dark with water rising.

That's just the stuff of horrific nightmares. Wasnt expecting a happy ending in this one, pretty amazing

quote:

Originally posted by hbabler:
A Thai official stated today they would likely have to wait for the water to recede and it could be months until that happens.

Say what?

This ain't over....

12 boys stuck underground will have to learn to dive and swim through narrow gaps ALONE as rain forces rescuers to get them out in 'days rather than months'

Twelve boys and their football coach found in a flooded cave in Thailand may have to learn to dive and make some of the swim to safety themselves amid fears of fresh rainfall in the next few days.

Experts had earlier said the 'rake thin' schoolboys may have to survive in the Thamg Luang cave network in the country's north until October when water levels subside at the end of monsoon season.

But with more rain forecast in the coming days, rescuers are now in a race against time to bring the young footballers to safety before levels rise again, with officials considering teaching the boys - none of whom can swim - how to dive.

Teams have been pumping 10,000 litres of water out of the caves every hour - but this is only enough to lower the level by one centimeter.

From the article
Could they dive out?

In theory yes: but it is an extremely difficult task. Cave diving is already very risky, especially for young boys in a weakened state who have no diving experience.

Tham Luang cave where the boys have been trapped is one of Thailand's longest at six miles and one of the hardest to navigate with its winding and at times narrow corridors.

If they dive, they have no choice but to follow the steps that rescuers took though tiny passageways clogged with mud and silt. That journey takes a healthy - and skilled - Navy SEAL diver about six hours.

Officials said they would attempt to train the boys to use crucial diving gear after they are rehabilitated with food, water and medical support.

'Cave diving is a very technical skill and it's extremely dangerous, especially for an untrained diver,' Anmar Mirza, coordinator of the US National Cave Rescue Commission, told AFP.

I hope they find another way than diving them out. Hard to imagine someone without any overhead environment experience making such a dive let alone someone with no dive training.

quote:

Originally posted by Ronin1069:

Teams have been pumping 10,000 litres of water out of the caves every hour - but this is only enough to lower the level by one centimeter.

Seems like they need some bigger pumps brought in. Probably easier said than done, but I would think the resources would be in place by now to airlift in some high volume pumps to try to make a run at draining enough water prior to additional rain.

6 hours to get to them? How the heck did they get that far into the cave?

quote:

Originally posted by Ackks:
6 hours to get to them? How the heck did they get that far into the cave?

Retreating inward as water levels rose?

Imagine 2 things:

Imagine sitting in the dark ostensibly waiting to die with little hope of rescue and then you see a light appear in the dark of the water.

Imagine you are a diver, you've been looking for these boys for days. Days. You start your approach to the next opening, you're in the dark of the water with only your light to guide you. And then you hear 12 boys and a coach screaming with delight from up above when they see a light.

Goosebumps.

quote:

Goosebumps

Agreed. One of the things that has made me near obsessed with this story is taken from some of the discussions about cave diving on this site. The two Brits who found them....bad mother-fuckers. If these kids have a chance, it’s because of these two....

https://www.theguardian.com/wo...-among-best-in-world

Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, among the first to reach the boys, have more than 35 years experience in extreme cave dives and rescues. They are world leaders in cave rescue, and have frequently worked together on major search and rescue operations around the globe.

IMO they have to pump water out to get them - trying to drag one of those kids through the underwater maze for hours on a rebreather is a disaster in the making.

Can they drill a la Chilean miners?

What a roller coaster... Your trapped in a nightmare, then you are found, now it's another nightmare to get out.

Are they in danger of running out of oxygen? Is there a source of fresh air?

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by Ackks:
6 hours to get to them? How the heck did they get that far into the cave?

They walked. Did you read the first post?

They walked in. The caves flooded. Rescue divers have to swim through the now flooded caves. More rain is coming and it looks like the team is going to have to be taught to swim out.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ59:
Can they drill a la Chilean miners?

This !

Considering the time it will take to *attempt* to pump all of that water, they need a several pronged approach.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Are they in danger of running out of oxygen? Is there a source of fresh air?

flashguy

I"ve been thinking about bathroom too.