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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Matthew Weaver (now), Sarah Marsh and Kate Lyons (earlier)

Eight boys now freed after day two of rescue effort – as it happened

That ends a noticeably more cheerful press conference led by Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the operation.

He received a round of applause for the second consecutive night and was even seen thanking a few journalists.

There is more work to do tomorrow, but the tension that has marked this past week is gradually starting to clear – with five people remaining in the cave, the end is in sight.

Updated

A press conference is beginning here in Mae Sai, after the successful retrieval of four boys from Tham Luang Nang Non cave this afternoon. “We are so happy to rescue another four,” says Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the operation.

He says the mission time is getting faster: rescuers have now shaved two hours off their initial estimate for the time it would take to ferry each boy out. The first operation today commenced at 11am and the first boy emerged around 4.30pm, according to some reports. That’s about five-and-a-half hours, much less than the 11 hour round-trip some divers were making to the boys earlier this week.

As it looks as if the rescue operation is on hold until tomorrow, we’re going to pause the blog for now. We’ll resume blogging if there are any more key developments or press conferences. In the meantime there’s more on Thai cave rescue section including this video update on today’s developments, and there’ll be a new live blog on Tuesday.

It is believed the rescue operation has been suspended for today. The Facebook update from the Thai navy seals suggests it is sticking to a plan of rescuing four boys per day.

It said “Two days, Eight boars” referring to the name of the boys football team Wild Boars.

What we know so far

  • The Thai navy Seals have confirmed that eight boys have been rescued from the Tham Luang cave complex in Northern Thailand, after two separate rescue operations. A further four boys were rescued on Monday after four were rescued on Sunday.
  • A further four boys and their coach Ekapol Chantawong remain in the cave. The identities of the rescued boys have not been confirmed.
  • Thai public television broadcast live video of a medivac helicopters landing close to a hospital in the city of Chiang Rai. They were believed to be ferrying the rescued boys.
  • Thai prime minister, Prayut Chan-O-Cha has delayed a planned visit to the site so as not to disruption the rescue operation. He had been due at the site at 6pm but is remaining at nearby Chiang Rai where the rescued boys are being treated in hospital.
  • The operation to extract more of the boys began on Monday at 11am (5am BST). The same divers who managed to rescue four boys on Sunday were involved. Officials said that conditions were as good as they were on Sunday and that rain yesterday did not affect water levels inside the cave.
  • The threat of monsoon rains re-flooding the cave is not as acute as previously feared, according to forecasters. Rain has fallen away from the cave entrance today and the chance of rain over the next two days is considered low.
  • The authorities complained about some of yesterday’s media coverage, saying a drone was flown above the operation. They also claimed media outlets listened to police radio reports.
  • The rescued boy are being kept in isolation in the hospital to avoid the risk of infection. Medics are considering whether to allow their parents to see them through a glass door.
  • The four boys rescued on Sunday have asked to eat a pad krapow. The dish is a favourite comfort food made with Thai basil.

Thai navy seals confirm eight boys rescued

The Thai navy Seals, the military unit running the rescue operation, have confirmed that eight boys have now been rescued. Its Facebook page does not reveal the identity of the rescued boys.

Updated

The threat of monsoon rains re-flooding the cave is not as acute as previously feared, according to Johannes Sander of the Munich-based industrial weather forecasters Sander and partner.

In an email, he says rainfall today was mostly in foothills away from the cave and tomorrow will see less rain.

He writes: “Monsoon rain patterns are very local. On Wednesday strong rainfall will happen about 30km or 50km north of the Tham Luang region, while the area around the cave will see little precipitation, and even less than today or tomorrow. The lack of signficant rain with support pumping of the flooded caverns.”

Rainfall near Tham Luang cave
Rainfall near Tham Luang cave Photograph: screengrab/Sander and Partner

Updated

CNN reports that the rescue operation has been suspended for today. The Guardian is trying to confirm this.

If confirmed it would leave four boys and their coach Ekaphol Chantawong inside the cave.

On Sunday the rescue operation was suspended after the first four boys were rescued. The authorities said the pause was to allow depleted oxygen levels in the cave to recover.

Confirmed: eight boys rescued

Guardian sources have confirmed that eighth boy has been rescued from the flooded cave.

Updated

Sixth and seventh boys are being airlifted to hospital in Chiang Rai.

Thai TV said it takes 20 minutes for a helicopter to reach the helipad which is 700m from the hospital.

Here’s our latest full report on the rescue operation.

Two more ambulances have been seen leaving the entrance of the cave.

An ambulance believed to be carrying one of rescued schoolboys leaves the Tham Luang cave complex.
An ambulance believed to be carrying one of rescued schoolboys leaves the Tham Luang cave complex. Photograph: Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters

Updated

Confirmed: seventh boy rescued

A Guardian source has witnessed a seventh boy being rescued and has heard that an eighth boy is “coming out”.

Updated

Guardian contributor, Veena Thoopkrjaei, reports that a seventh rescued boy has arrived at the hospital. We are still trying to confirm reports that eight boys have been rescued.

Reports: seventh and eighth boy rescued

Reuters and CNN report a seventh and eighth boy being rescued, citing witnesses. The Guardian is trying to confirm these reports.

What we know so far

  • Two more boys have been rescued from the Tham Luang cave complex in Northern Thailand, officials have told the Guardian. Six boys have been rescued and six more and their coach remain in the cave.
  • Sources at the site said a fifth boy emerged before 5pm and had left the entrance. A six boy emerged an hour later, sources said.
  • Thai public television broadcast live video of a medivac helicopter landing close to a hospital in the city of Chiang Rai. It was believed to be carrying the fifth boy to be rescued.
  • Thai prime minister, Prayut Chan-O-Cha has delayed a planned visit to the site so as not to disruption the rescue operation. He had been due at the site at 6pm but is remaining at nearby Chiang Rai where the rescued boys are being treated in hospital.
  • The operation to extract more of the boys began on Monday at 11am (5am BST). The same divers who managed to rescue four boys on Sunday were involved. Officials said that conditions were as good as they were on Sunday and that rain yesterday did not affect water levels inside the cave.
  • Authorities complained about some of yesterday’s media coverage, saying a drone was flown above the operation. They also claimed media outlets listened to police radio reports.
  • The rescued boy are being kept in isolation in the hospital to avoid the risk of infection. Medics are considering whether to allow their parents to see them through a glass door.
  • The four boys rescued on Sunday have asked to eat a pad krapow. The dish is a favourite comfort food made with Thai basil.

Updated

AP describes the difficulty of getting officials to go on the record about the details of the rescue operations.

Thai authorities are being tight-lipped about who was inside an ambulance seen leaving the site, as they were the night before when four of the 13 people trapped inside the underground complex were rescued.

Multiple calls to senior government officials and military personnel leading the operation to rescue the members of the youth soccer team rang unanswered Monday evening.

On Sunday, officials waited until several hours after the rescued boys had been transported to hospitals to announce their rescue.

Confirmed: sixth boy rescued

A sixth boy has been rescued, a source inside the rescue team has confirmed to the Guardian.

Report: 'sixth boy rescued'

Reports are now emerging of a sixth boy coming out.

The Thai prime minister was supposed to visit the site at 6pm but is now hanging around Chiang Rai so as not to disrupt the operation.

The Guardian is trying to confirm the report of a sixth rescue.

Thai public television has broadcast live video of a medivac helicopter landing close to a hospital in the city of Chiang Rai, near the site of the cave, AP reports.

Medics appeared to remove one person on a stretcher but hid the person’s identity behind multiple white umbrellas. An ambulance was seen leaving the scene immediately afterward early Monday evening.

Less than an hour earlier, an ambulance with flashing lights had left the cave complex, hours after the start of the second phase of an operation to rescue the soccer team.

Nine people remained trapped in the cave, including the 12-member team’s coach, after four boys were rescued on Sunday, the first day of the rescue operation.

Pad Krapow, Thai basil leaves with meat and rice, was the meal the boys rescued on Sunday, according to Narongsak Osottanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the mission.

“They made a special request that they wished to have Pad Krapow,” Narongsak told a press briefing.

Kay Plunkett-Hogge has more on the dish.

Updated

The sight of the ambulance reaching the helipad was greeted by cheers, according to AP.

An ambulance with flashing lights left the site of a flooded cave in northern Thailand where a youth soccer team has been trapped for two weeks, just hours after the second phase of a rescue operation was launched.

The ambulance drove toward a helipad, where a helicopter was seen taking off shortly after to the cheers of the crowd below. The same process was used Sunday for at least one of the four boys rescued in the first attempt at getting the 12 boys and their coach out of the underground complex.

An ambulance believed to be carrying a rescued schoolboy leaves from Tham Luang cave complex
An ambulance believed to be carrying a rescued
schoolboy leaves from Tham Luang cave complex Photograph: Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters

Here’s our updated full report on the rescue of the fifth boy.

Thai TV stations have been broadcasting footage of an ambulance, believed to be carrying the fifth rescued boy, driving from the cave to a waiting helicopter.

The helicopter was seen heading south towards Chiang Rai where the other rescued boys are treated in hospital.

Updated

Confirmed: fifth boy rescued

A source inside the rescue operation has confirmed to the Guardian a fifth boy emerged from the cave not long ago.

An ambulance rush past and about five minutes later a helicopter flew over the media centre site to cheers from many of the Thai volunteers.

An ambulance has left the site amid multiple reports of fifth boy being rescued.

Local TV said a fifth boy was rescued at 4.23pm. CNN’s witness said it was 4.27pm.

A source at the site told the Guardian the fifth boy had not emerged “yet”, as of 5.07pm local time but would likely be out “soon”.

Report: 'fifth person rescued'

Reuters is reporting that fifth person has been rescued.

Rescue workers in Thailand were seen carrying a person on a stretcher away from a cave complex and into a waiting ambulance on Monday, a Reuters witness said.

The first four boys, from the group of 13, including the coach, were rescued on Sunday.

The entrance to the cave is cordoned off.

Journalists are being kept away from the entrance to the Tham Luang Nang Non cave network
Journalists are being kept away from the entrance to the Tham Luang Nang Non cave network Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

Updated

CNN is reporting that a fifth boy has been seen being rescued from the cave. It cited a member of the rescue team who said a boy was seen on a stretcher at 4.27pm local time emerging from the entrance. This has not been confirmed.

Narongsak for Thai PM?

The current incumbent, Prayut Chan-O-Cha, is due to visit the rescue operation later on Monday.

Updated

There remains considerable global interest in the rescue attempt despite other distractions this week.

The cartoon above, by the artist Sisidea, is being widely shared on Thai social media. It portrays each of the groups taking part in this operation using animals.

According to the illustrator, the leader of the operation, Narongsak Osatanakorn, is the elephant – the elephant being the symbol of Chiang Rai province. He is a white elephant too – signifying the rareness of his leadership abilities, the cartoonist says.

The wild boars are obviously the boys – that’s the name of their football team – while the white horses represent the volunteers. The seals are the Thai navy Seals who are coordinating this operation while the frogs represent the Thai and international divers.

The lions are the English divers, the kangaroos, the Australians. The Panda is the Chinese team, the cranes, the Japanese team and the moose are the Swedes. The tigers are the Burmese team and the brown elephants are the Laos specialists. The dogs represent the police and the Iron Man is Elon Musk.

And the birds – the ones flying the opposite direction to everyone else? They would be the media, and the Thai bloggers who have been criticising the operation. Ouch.

Updated

Here’s our latest report on the rescue:

Rescue divers have started a second rescue operation to ferry more boys from the northern Thailand cave where they have been trapped for the past 16 days.

Divers at the site told the Guardian on Monday morning they were preparing to re-enter the cave where they spent more than eight hours on Sunday guiding four of the 12 trapped boys to freedom.

Officials later confirmed the divers had entered Tham Luang Nang Non cave at about 11am local time (5am BST). “At 11am we sent the second team,” said Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the operation.

He said the conditions that had triggered Sunday’s operation – declining water levels in the cave, the readiness of rescuers and the physical and mental health of the stranded boys – were the same on Monday morning and the rescue had commenced five hours’ earlier than expected.

How will the rescue work?

Thai authorities confirmed on Sunday that a rescue operation was under way. Eighteen divers entered the cave after water levels dropped significantly.

The boys and their coach will be brought out one-by-one, with each accompanied by two divers in a process that could continue until at least Monday. A doctor with cave-diving experience earlier went into the chamber and approved them for the operation.

Round-the-clock efforts to pump water out of the cave appear to have paid off with conditions said to be walkable in some parts of the 1.7km passageway between the third chamber and the ledge where the team were found sheltering on 2 July.

It is unclear whether the boys themselves will need to dive although they have been trained in how to breathe through scuba masks. The death on Friday of Saman Kunan, a former Thai navy seal, starkly illustrated how dangerous any rescue involving diving apparatus could be. Kunan died from a lack of air while replenishing air tanks between the cave’s third chamber and the landmark Monk’s Junction.

Rescue divers have already fixed guide ropes along the passageways, which would be used to navigate the team out. It is unlikely the boys would carry their own 12-litre air tanks – they are more likely to receive air from a navy diver’s supply.

Thai cave rescue

With further monsoon rains forecast, officials knew the window in which they could launch a rescue operation was diminishing. Another deluge risked stranding the group for months, which would mean drilling a shaft into the cave became the only prospect of rescuing the team before the end of the monsoon season. After Kunan’s death concerns also grew about the quality of air inside the cave.

Update on the rescue mission as it resumes

The press briefing has now finished. Here’s what we learned:

• The rescue operation to extract more boys began on Monday at 11am (5am BST). The same divers who went in on Sunday have been called upon again, but there are no reports on their progress.

• Officials said that conditions were as good as they were on Sunday, when the first four boys were extracted. They said that the rain yesterday did not affect water levels inside the cave.

• Officials suggested that the stronger boys would be rescued first and that they could emerge between 7.30pm and 8.30pm local time.

• Authorities complained about some of yesterday’s media coverage, saying a drone was flown above the operation. They also claimed media outlets listened to police radio reports.

• Consideration is also being made about whether parents should be allowed to see the boys who have already been rescued, potentially through a glass door. There must be no physical contact with the boys until the results of blood tests come back. The four boys in hospital are asking to eat pad kra pao (Thai basil chicken).

Updated

Speaking at a press briefing, officials suggested that the stronger boys would be rescued first.

Updated

Divers went in to extract more boys from the cave on Monday at 11am (5am BST), official reports have confirmed.

“The factors are as good as yesterday ... The rescue team is the same team with a few replacements,” Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the operation said.

Narongsak Osatanakorn at the press briefing
Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the operation, speaking at the press briefing. Photograph: Jacob Goldberg for the Guardian

He added: “The water level is not worrisome ... Yesterday’s rain did not affect water levels inside the cave.”

Updated

Authorities are complaining about some of yesterday’s media coverage, according to the Guardian’s South Asia correspondent Micheal Safi. Reporting from a press briefing, he says that authorities claim someone flew a drone above the operation.

There are also reports that some media have been listening to police radio reports. “This is really wrong,” said Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the operation.

Consideration is also being made about whether parents should be allowed to see the boys through a glass door, Osatanakorn said. He noted that the four boys who have been rescued (and are in hospital) are asking to eat pad kra pao (Thai basil chicken).

Updated

A media briefing on the progress of the rescue operation is expected to happen soon.

Updated

Rescue operation to extract more boys underway

The rescue operation to extract more boys from the cave is underway, official reports have now confirmed.

Thailand’s interior ministry said the same divers who went in on Sunday to take out four boys had also gone in on Monday. There are no reports as of yet on their progress.

On Monday, several ambulances drove by the press centre, a mile from the cave, and a helicopter flew overhead toward the rescue site.

If the divers move at the same pace as they did yesterday, the first boy will not come out for another three hours. Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is due arrive at the rescue site at 4pm.

Updated

Somboon Sompiangjai, 38, the father of one of the trapped boys, has told Reuters that parents were told by rescuers ahead of Sunday’s operation the “strongest children” would be brought out first.

“We have not been told which child has been brought out ... We can’t visit our boys in hospital because they need to be monitored for 48 hours,” Somboon told Reuters. It is unclear how this fits with reports from the Thai health official, that parents would be able to visit their sons tonight.

“I’m hoping for good news today,” said Somboon.

The sudden rush of activity at the cave site – helicopter and ambulance arriving – might seem like a rescue is imminent.

However it is worth pointing out that our reporters were told that as of 9am local time (4 hours ago) rescue divers had not entered the cave, so that would mean a very quick return trip if a group is about to emerge from the cave. But, as I said before, we have had very little official information today. So, we’ll see.

Updated

What we know so far

  • The four boys rescued from the Tham Luang caves on Sunday night have been declared in “good overall health” though they are waiting for the results of tests.
  • All four boys safely are being treated at a hospital in Chiang Rai, the nearest major city.
  • They have not yet been able to see their families, though a senior health official said they should be able to see them later today as long as there was “no hugging, no touching” until test results were back.
  • The rescue operation was scheduled to resume between 7am and 5pm local time today; the coordinator of the rescue efforts said divers needed between 10 and 20 hours to rest and set up for another day’s work.
  • The same divers who rescued the first four boys will also conduct the next operation, Thailand’s interior minister confirmed, as they know the cave conditions and what to do.
  • The remaining eight boys and their coach remain underground at the original location near to Pattaya beach.
  • 13 foreign divers and five Thai navy Seals made up the rescue team on Sunday night that brought out the four boys.
  • When they reached the surface, the divers turned and hugged the boys, who wore full-face scuba masks, after completing the 3.2km journey through the muddy, jagged cave.
  • The operation proceeded much faster than expected due to the walkable water level in the cave after it was launched at 10am local time on Sunday.
  • It has now been 16 days since 12 boys and their football coach became trapped in the Tham Luang cave network after becoming flooded in while visiting after football practice on 23 June.

Our reporter Jacob Goldberg reports that soon after the helicopter was seen landing near the cave site, an ambulance was seen driving toward it and now rain is coming down heavily.

A helicopter has landed close to the rescue site, says our reporter Jacob Goldberg.

We don’t know what this means and have been given very little official information today, but Jacob and our other reporters will bring you updates as soon as we have them.

"No hugging, no touching," but rescued children should be able to see their families tonight

The four boys who were rescued last night are in good overall health and should be able to see their families later today, according to a key health official.

Dr Thongchai Lertwilairattanapong, an inspector for Thailand’s health department, said the four boys have undergone a series of tests at Prachanukroh hospital in Chiang Rai.

He told the Thai daily newspaper Kom Chad Lek, that the boys should be able to see close relatives later today after tests were completed, but warned there must be no physical contact until the results of blood tests came back.

“Visitors will only be allowed to meet and talk to the patients,” he said. “No hugging or touching and they [visitors] need to leave a one to two metre distance from the patients until the results of their blood tests come back.”

Thongchai said doctors were checking to make sure the children are free from serious infections such as leptospirosis and meliodosis.

Kom Chad Led said the kids have undergone blood tests, lung X-rays and urine tests. One of the concerns is refeeding syndrome, which can affect people who have experienced severe malnourishment.

Elon Musk has shared video of his team testing out his small “kid-sized submarine”, which he suggested as a potential solution for rescuing the trapped children, in a pool in LA.

Musk said the “mini-sub”, which is towed by adult divers, weighed about 40kg, meaning it was “easy to carry on long dry sections of the cave” and then divers could add “diver weight belts wrapped around [the] outside” as ballast.

He also wrote: “With some mods, this could also work as an escape pod in space.”

Elon Musk confirmed several days ago that he was in talks with Thai government about whether he might be able to assist with rescue efforts. He raised the prospect of a “mini-sub”, but after yesterday’s successful rescue mission it appeared the device would not be needed, with Musk tweeting: “Extremely talented dive team. Makes sense given monsoon. Godspeed.”

We are still waiting for the daily press briefing from Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the operation. These have customarily occurred about 10am local time each day to let the hundreds of gathered reporters know what the plans are for the day.

It is now noon with no word from Narongsak.

Children at Mae Sai Prasitsart School talk to the press on Monday.
Children at Mae Sai Prasitsart School talk to the press on Monday. Photograph: Jacob Goldberg for the Guardian

Thongyaud Kejorn, a teacher at Mae Sai Prasitsart school, which many of the boys trapped in the caves attend, says the boys won’t have to take an exam scheduled for next week. “They will not have to follow the normal schedules,” Kejorn said at a press conference on Monday morning.

He said students and teachers at the school were receiving instructions about how to manage the mental health of the boys who have spent more than two weeks inside the cave, especially to avoid “talk that hurts their feelings” and said that each of the returning students would receive individual counselling with a psychiatrist.

Kittichok Kankeaw, a teammate of Nuttawut Takamai, one of the trapped boys, said he would try to assist his friend to catch up at school. “I can help him with his homework,” he said.

The school has arranged the interviews with the press for two rounds a day so that they can provide information to the press without the students being disturbed.

Updated

Students and teachers at Mae Sai Prasitsart School, where six of the boys who became trapped in the cave, are students have described to the press the preparations they have made for when the boys return.

They also said they have been receiving guidance from mental health professionals. More from that press conference shortly.

Christoph Sator, a reporter with Deutsche Presse-Agentur, took this photograph of a sign at the school, which features a photograph of the boys trapped in the cave and quotes from their initial conversation with British divers, as well as the ominous line: “You never know when you will need your English”.

Update from Thai government

The same divers who rescued the first four boys will also conduct the next operation as they know the cave conditions and what to do, said Thailand’s interior minister.

In comments released by the government, interior minister Anupong Paojinda said officials were meeting on Monday morning about the next stage of the operation and how to extract the remaining nine people from the cave in the country’s north.

Anupong said divers need to place more air canisters along the underwater route to where the boys and their coach are trapped. He said that process can take several hours.

He said the boys who were rescued on Sunday are strong and safe but need to undergo detailed medical checks.

Updated

Boys will come out in groups of four, says Australian foreign minister

The Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop said in a TV interview on Monday morning she believed the boys would be brought out in groups of four, meaning at least two more operations.

Australia has sent a team of 19 to support the dangerous rescue mission being led by Thai authorities and Australian divers were part of yesterday’s successful rescue operation, Bishop said.

There are reports circulating that one of the four people rescued last night was the coach, 25-year-old Ekapol Chanthawong.

People have speculated that he was removed from the cave because he was unwell, due to the fact he gave the boys all the food to eat while they waited for rescuers to find them.

Michael Safi, our south Asia correspondent, who is on the ground in Mae Sai, says this is not confirmed.

According to the Guardian’s translation of last night’s press conference, the head of the operation mentioned that “four kids” had been rescued, so that is our best information at this time. However, our reporters are looking into it and will bring you more information as soon as they can confirm it.

Students at the school attended by half of the boys are about to hold a press conference. We will have updates about what they say as they come through.

What we know so far

  • Four of the boys have were rescued from the Tham Luang caves in Chiang Rai province on Sunday night
  • All four boys safely reached a hospital in Chiang Rai, the nearest major city
  • The operation was scheduled to resume between 7am and 5pm local time today, the coordinator of the rescue efforts said divers needed between 10 and 20 hours to rest and set up for another day’s work
  • Divers have not yet gone into the cave to resume rescue operations but would go in “soon”, sources told the Guardian
  • The remaining eight boys and their coach remain underground at the original location near to Pattaya beach
  • When they reached the surface, the divers turned and hugged the boys, who wore full-face scuba masks, after completing the 3.2km journey through the muddy, jagged cave
  • The operation proceeded much faster than expected due to the walkable water level in the cave after it was launched at 10am local time on Sunday
  • 13 foreign divers and five Thai navy Seals made up the rescue team and were among a team of 90 divers involved in the rescue effort overall

Divers will begin rescue operation "soon"

Our reporters have had confirmation that divers have not gone into the cave for the rescue mission to bring out the remaining boys today, but are planning on doing so soon.

We don’t have a timeframe yet for when they will enter the cave, our reporters have just been told “soon”.

Last night we reported that at least some of the parents with children inside the cave were yet to be told whether their sons were among those freed in Sunday’s rescue operation.

Mongkhol Boonpiam, 14, has been named by some Thai media as one of the rescued boys. Namhom Boonpiam, the mother of Mongkhol, said she had not been told whether her son had been rescued and taken to hospital and only learned he may have been freed from reports on social media. “I just heard his name, Mongkhol, and I was happy enough,” she told the Guardian.

This has prompted questions in the Thai media on Monday morning, and an official was just quoted by local TV saying authorities were holding off naming the boys who had been rescued because “they’re afraid it will affect the parents of kids who still remain inside”.

It gives you a sense of the difficulty of the task facing rescuers, trying to navigate the difficult underground terrain to reach the boys, but also the emotions of parents who must be stricken, exhausted and stressed.

It has been 16 days since the boys became trapped after visiting the Tham Luang caves in northern Thailand after football practice.

The country – and the world – have followed the search for the boys, with some expressing their concern through cartoons, often depicting the boys as pigs, or boars, a reference to the name of their football team – Moo Pa (Wild Boars).

Updated

News of the release of four of the Wild Boars last night sparked celebrations across Mae Sai and Thailand.

This morning, the focus is returning to the job ahead: freeing the remaining nine still stuck several kilometres inside Tham Luang Nang Non cave.

The first operation on Sunday was launched because conditions were “perfect”, authorities said. We cannot automatically assume rescuers will be granted the same conditions today. It is dry this morning in northern Thailand, but rained overnight.

Large stockpiles of air tanks and other equipment will need to be replenished at the cave site. And the 90 divers who took part in yesterday’s eight-hour rescue will also need to rest for the gruelling operations ahead.

Authorities said at 9pm last night next operation would take place in a 10 to 20 hour window – that’s between roughly 7am local time (nearly two hours ago) and 5pm.

Amid reports of activity at the cave site already, we are awaiting the announcement of a press conference that might give an indication of when the next rescue will start.

Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the rescue, has repeatedly stressed how much of a team effort the operation has been, praising international teams, military personnel, divers, and volunteers, including those who have poured in from the surrounding area to provide food.

Yesterday, when media were moved out of the main cave site, many journalists expressed relief that the “kitchen” was moved as well. (Food is being transported to the cave site, so those working there aren’t missing out.)

Our reporter, Veena Thoopkrajae, shared this video of the delicious-looking meals being cooked up round-the-clock to keep everyone involved going.

Rescue of the first four boys – in pictures

Onlookers watch and cheer as ambulances deliver boys rescued from a cave in northern Thailand to hospital in Chiang Rai.
Onlookers watch and cheer as ambulances deliver boys rescued from a cave in northern Thailand to hospital in Chiang Rai. Photograph: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
Ambulances parked on standby outside the hospital in Chiang Rai province.
Ambulances parked on standby outside the hospital in Chiang Rai province. Photograph: Pongmanat Tasiri/EPA
Nurses wait outside the Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital, where the boys were brought upon rescue.
Nurses wait outside the Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital, where the boys were brought upon rescue. Photograph: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
Ambulances at a helicopter pad in Chiang Rai province.
Ambulances at a helicopter pad in Chiang Rai province. Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA
A helicopter lands at a military airport in Chiang Rai. Its passengers are then taken by ambulance to nearby hospital.
A helicopter lands at a military airport in Chiang Rai. Its passengers are then taken by ambulance to nearby hospital. Photograph: Krit Phromsakla Na Sakolnakorn/AFP/Getty Images
People lined the streets to see the boys taken to hospital by ambulance.
People lined the streets to see the boys taken to hospital by ambulance. Photograph: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
Military personnel, rescue workers and volunteers head out from Tham Luang Nang Non cave after ambulances transported a group of boys rescued from the cave.
Military personnel, rescue workers and volunteers head out from Tham Luang Nang Non cave after ambulances transported a group of boys rescued from the cave. Photograph: Linh Pham/Getty Images

Narongsak Osatanakorn told media the operation is going “better than expected.”
Narongsak Osatanakorn told media the operation is going “better than expected.” Photograph: Sakchai Lalit/AP

Here is a transcript of the press conference last night at which Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the rescue, announced that four boys had been brought out of the cave.

Today was the best situation – in terms of kids’ health, water and our rescue readiness.

Four have been [brought] out from the cave site, four have been rescued. We consider that a great success.

It has been our masterpiece work.

Our job is not completely done. We will have to do the next mission as successfully as the one we did today. The rest of the kids are in the same spot.

Air tanks and systems have to be put in place again. I can’t tell you exact timing of the next operation but I can say it will be more than 10 hours to 20 hours. It will not be more than 20 hours. I have to check all factors are stable. The operation then will be carried out.

After weeks of uncertainty and anxiety, Thailand’s English language newspapers were finally able to carry some good news on their front pages.

The Bangkok Post led with “Four boys out safely” and had an infographic showing how the boys were escorted from the cave by buddy divers.

The Nation’s headline was “Boys emerge from cave”.

Of course, the good news of the rescue of the four boys is tempered by the fact that eight boys and their 25-year-old football coach still remain trapped and had to spend another night – their 16th in the cave – last night.

The second rescue mission is due to start at some point today. Yesterday the former governor in charge of rescue operations said divers would need 10 to 20 hours to rest and prepare for the next operation. That announcement was a little more than 10 hours ago, so we could see action at any moment.

Updated

Australian divers were part of yesterday’s successful rescue operation, foreign minister Julie Bishop has announced.

Bishop has said that some Australian divers formed part of the “daisy chain” of rescuers that led four of the 12 boys out of the cave system yesterday.

She also confirmed that Australian civilian diver, Dr Richard Harris, had conducted a medical assessment of the boys on Saturday, giving them the all-clear to undertake the journey.

Australia has sent a team of 19 to support the dangerous rescue mission being lead by Thai authorities. The group includes six Australian federal police divers and more divers from the Australia defence force.

“It’s highly dangerous, it’s very precarious and our thoughts are not only with the boys but also with the diving and rescue teams that are assisting,” Bishop told the Nine Network on Monday.

“It’s wonderful news and we are very relieved that the four boys have been evacuated,” Bishop said.

“But the fact that it took so many hours underscores how precarious this whole mission is.”

The federal government said that Australia stands ready to send more experts to help with the rescue if required.

Updated

Mongkhol Boonpiam’s mother said last night she learned her son may have been rescued from social media.
Mongkhol Boonpiam’s mother said last night she learned her son may have been rescued from social media. Photograph: Thai Rath

The names of the four boys rescued from the caves last night have not been officially confirmed. As of last night, even the parents of the boys had not been told who had been rescued, one mother told our reporter Michael Safi.

Mongkhol Boonpiam, 14, has been named by some Thai media as one of the rescued boys. Namhom Boonpiam, the mother of Mongkhol, said she had not been told whether her son had been rescued and taken to hospital and only learned he may have been freed from reports on social media.

“I just heard his name, Mongkhol, and I was happy enough,” she told the Guardian.

Michael Safi’s full story about the parents who spent last night waiting for news is here.

Veena Thoopkrajae, reporting for the Guardian, said that the former governor Narongsak Osatanakorn, who is heading up the rescue operation, has been referring to the boys as Moo 1, 2, 3 and 4 – after Moo Pa (Wild Boars) the name of their football team – and those names have taken off on social media.

Updated

Good morning and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the rescue operations to free the boys and their football coach trapped in the Tham Luang caves in northern Thailand.

Overnight, we received the news that four of the boys had been brought out of the cave by divers.

The first two boys emerged from the cave wearing full-face scuba masks just after 5.30pm local time on Sunday, and were embraced by the divers who led them out. Two hours later, another two boys were brought out about 10 minutes apart.

The four received preliminary health checks at the scene and were taken to a hospital in Chiang Rai. One was airlifted and three arrived by ambulance. The boys have not yet been named.

Eight boys and their coach are still trapped in the cave. Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the operation, said yesterday that rescuers needed between 10 and 20 hours to rest and prepare their equipment, for the next stage of the mission, so we are expecting the mission to begin this morning.

As always, feel free to contact me on Twitter or by email: kate.lyons@theguardian.com. You should also follow my brilliant, indefatigable colleagues in the field: Michael Safi, Jacob Goldberg and Veena Thoopkrajae.

We’ll have all the updates on this blog, so keep checking in.

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