Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Mattha Busby, Kate Lyons and Kevin Rawlinson

Thailand cave rescue: no rescue attempt imminent, says governor – as it happened

Closing summary

Here’s a summary of the day’s events:

  • No rescue attempt will be made this evening, Thai authorities have said, because the boys are not yet strong enough divers. The governor of Chiang Rai, Narongsak Osottanakorn, told a press conference he wanted a rescue plan that posed the minimum risk.
  • Earlier in the day, there were unconfirmed reports circulating that the authorities may begin the rescue mission tonight due to fears that forecast torrential rains would further endanger the trapped football team.
  • Efforts today to find appropriate locations to drill a shaft down to the stranded footballers were unsuccessful, meaning that the only viable option out is via the tunnels.
  • Elsewhere, Elon Musk announced he is in contact with the Thai authorities and has sent a team of engineers from The Boring Company, who will accompany SpaceX employees to aid the rescue effort in Tham Luang.
  • If the boys successfully make it out in time, the Fifa president has invited them to be guests at the World Cup final in Moscow. What a story that would be.

This live blog is closing now. You can read the full story from my colleagues, Michael Safi and Jacob Goldberg, here:

Updated

The South East Asia correspondent for the Australian newspaper has some more on the boys’ contact with their families. The Chiang Rai governor said he was also in daily contact with the relatives.

A further update on the reports about the potential involvement of Elon Musk’s firm comes via Jacob Goldberg:

Updated

No rescue attempt today

The governor, Narongsak Osottanakorn, is asked if he will try to rescue the boys today should the rain begin to fall. No, he says.

They cannot dive at this time.

That concludes the press conference. The governor has left:

Updated

He says the British diver, who came out of the cave at 9pm (local time), reported that the boys were fine.

The governor adds that he speaks to the families every day and asks if they want him to bring out the children right now. He says he wants the minimum risk before attempting the rescue.

If it rains, he says, the authorities “will try” to bring them out.

Updated

He is asked why the delay if they have already learned to dive. “Because we would like the minimum risk,” he says.

The governor says they will need to “test the plan” once they have decided upon it. He adds that the boys have “already learned” to dive.

The governor is asked if they will try to bring the boys out tonight, as per earlier reports.

We [will] try to set the best plan. If the risk is minimal, we will try. We are afraid of the weather and the oxygen in the cave. We have to try to set the plan and find which plan is the best.

Cold water had been poured on the rumours that an attempt would be made tonight, according to Michael Safi:

The press conference has begun. My colleague, Jacob Goldberg, is following it.

Updated

What we know so far

We’re still waiting for the press conference to begin, as it approaches midnight in Thailand.

  • There are unconfirmed reports circulating that the authorities may begin the rescue mission tonight due to fears that forecast torrential rains would further endanger the trapped football team.
  • Efforts today to find appropriate locations to drill a shaft down to the stranded footballers were unsuccessful, meaning that the only viable option out is via the tunnels.
  • Elsewhere, Elon Musk announced he is in contact with the Thai authorities and has sent a team of engineers from The Boring Company, who will accompany SpaceX employees to aid the rescue effort in Tham Luang.
  • If the boys successfully make it out in time, the Fifa president has invited them to be guests at the World Cup final in Moscow. What a story that would be.
  • I’ll now be handing over to Kevin Rawlinson who will bring you updates from tonight’s press conference and throughout this evening.

Updated

Throngs of photographers and journalists sit in wait for the interior minister’s much anticipated, and delayed, press conference this evening. It is 23:11 in Thailand.

Military officers have put an official banner behind where the interior minister is expected to make his statement. It says: “This conference will be announced by the operations center for the searching for the missing persons at Tham Luang”.

Updated

ITV’s Richard Gaisford has tweeted a video of Thai soldiers rehearsing earlier. He says that the announcement from Thai authorities is imminent.

People at the rescue site are watching the France-Uruguay World Cup quarter final on a small mobile phone screen as a man gets a haircut in the background.

France are winning 2-0, by the way (Barry Glendenning is live-blogging that).

Updated

Belgian media cite unconfirmed reports rescue mission will begin tonight

Belgian media have cited unconfirmed reports that the rescue mission will begin this evening and that a diving team will accompany the boys to the cave’s exit two-at-a-time.

Ben Reymenants, the Belgian diver who was interviewed on BBC Newsnight on Monday and is reportedly on stand-by for this mission, told Het Laatste Nieuws (HLN):

It’s a race against time, because on Sunday heavy rain showers are expected. But we remain positive.

We expect that the first two football players will reach the exit today, in the best case scenario.

It remains a difficult course through a labyrinth of corridors, with lots of diving and climbing.

But the process is along with the current and the visibility under water is already a lot better.

Moreover, they do not have to swim a lot, they have an oxygen mask on them and they will almost always be kept on hand by one of the divers.

In the third corridor there is air for breathing, where they will also be checked by a doctor. Then there is another 1.5 kilometers of climbing and climbing.

Reymenants also paid tribute to the Thai diver Saman Kunan who died delivering oxygen underground.

There are those who would rather not swim in the cave anymore and be replaced. I also knew him myself and dived with him,” says Reymenants.

He was very experienced and had a top condition as a triathlete, so the event came unexpectedly.

What has just gone wrong is not yet clear. Maybe he got out of consciousness because of carbon dioxide, his vision was limited, he got a lot of stress or bad air got into his tank. That will have to prove an autopsy.

Updated

A journalist at the rescue site wears a t-shirt saying ‘Journalism is not a crime’.

Reporters Without Borders recently condemned the Thai junta’s crackdown on news and information since the military coup in 2014.

It has urged the international community to take a firmer line with the regime, which has “stepped up online censorship and prosecutions of media outlets in recent months”.

According to Freedom House, Thailand has one of the least free medias in the world with authorities banning hundreds of sites in the past four years.

Updated

Stalls have been set up around the camp to give out food, coffee, toiletries and underwear to anyone that needs it.

A woman appears in good spirits as she hands out underwear.
A woman appears in good spirits as she hands out underwear. Photograph: Michael Safi for the Guardian

There’s a true collective spirit at the camp site and everyone appears to be doing what they can to aid the rescue effort.

A group of volunteers prepare to leave in search of alternative entry points to the Tham Luang cave area.
A group of volunteers prepare to leave in search of alternative entry points to the Tham Luang cave area. Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images

Meanwhile, people have been receiving free haircuts throughout the day.

A man gets a free haircut at the command centre
A man gets a free haircut at the command centre Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images

Jacob Goldberg is at the scene of the rescue site waiting for the press conference to begin along with reporters from around the world who have assembled in anticipation of the interior minister’s announcement.

Crowds of police officers are scurrying back and forth across the rescue camp like something is about to happen. A generator hums in the background. A few drops of rain are falling.

Spotlights shine on the platform where the interior minister is expected to make an announcement. Reporters are lingering around the platform. We’ve been waiting for hours.

Members of the media wait.
Members of the media wait. Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Experts have further described how hazardous the journey out of the cave will be for the boys.

Prof Peter Styles, Professor of Applied and Environmental Geophysics, Keele University, said:

The difficulty is that these are not single caves but a series of linked caverns. These are caused by water laced with CO2, which forms a weak acid and dissolves the limestone. The cave system (which may run many many miles) tends to be liked by narrow connections that can easily flood which is clearly what has happened here as the storms occur.

The fact that a diver has died indicates how hazardous the journey through these is. It may be worth trying to see whether there is access into the cave where they are from the surface or whether it is feasible to make one if there isn’t a natural access.

If it is already partly connected it would be feasible but tricky. To drill a shaft big enough to get folks through in virgin rock is difficult but not impossible, as the other alternative may be to wait for the waters to fall which, as they have said, may be months!”

The emotional and psychological toll this ordeal will also have had on the children, despite their beaming smiles in photographs, cannot be overstated.

Dr. Andrea Danese, Head of the Stress & Development Lab at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, said:

Many of the young people trapped in the cave in Thailand are likely to develop new psychological symptoms in the short-term. They may become fearful, clingy, or jumpy; they may be fear for their safety; they may become very moody or easily upset (or, in contrast, they may become detached or numb); or they may develop headache and stomach-ache related to the intense distress.

Most of these young people will recover from these symptoms in a few weeks at most. However, we can expect that a sizeable proportion of the young people involved (10-20%) will develop more enduring mental health problems related to the trauma, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or conduct problems. These young people will benefit from psychological assessment and treatment.


Updated

The interior minister has arrived at the rescue camp. Press conference shouldn’t be too far away now.

Updated

Earlier this afternoon, two of the British divers - who were among the team who found the trapped boys on Monday - arrived at the Tham Luang rescue site.

British cave diver Richard Stanton arrives at the Tham Luang cave area sporting an iDive t-shirt.
British cave diver Richard Stanton arrives at the Tham Luang cave area sporting an iDive t-shirt. Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
British cave diver John Volanthen (L) arrives at the Tham Luang cave area.
British cave diver John Volanthen (L) arrives at the Tham Luang cave area. Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images

Macarena Vidal, the China correspondent for El País, has tweeted photos of sitting Thai soldiers as they wait for the interior minister to deliver the press conference.

Updated

Apparently there has been some activity at the press conference – we’re expecting it to begin soon.

The mood at the rescue site is said to be sombre, in stark contrast to the sense of elation that abounded earlier this week when the boys were found, following the death of a diver and the forecast torrential rains.

Within the local community, people are reportedly deeply upset at the events that have unfolded since people they know are trapped deep underground.

Thai soldiers make their way near the Tham Luang cave as rescue operations continue.
Thai soldiers make their way near the Tham Luang cave as rescue operations continue. Photograph: Ye Aung Thu/AFP/Getty Images

“You never imagine someone you know could get trapped in a cave,” shopkeeper Patcharee Khumngen told the BBC.

A boy who goes by the nickname of Note, who is trapped in the cave, bought snacks at her store when he was eight years old.

“He’s a good boy, very friendly, and always liked to joke around,” she said. “Now that he’s in his teens he looks quite handsome .. I’ve known his parents since he was a little boy.”

In the face of adversity, the community has united to donate food and help the rescue effort in any way they can.

“Every house here has been talking about the news of the boys,” Koywilai Promwijit, who works in a local salon, told the BBC. “The village has donated hundreds of packages of food.”

Varee Srichai, a farmer in Chiang Mai, has volunteered to clean the rescue site and said: “I plan to stay here until the boys are rescued.”

You can read the whole story, ‘A community united in hope’, on the BBC.

Updated

The press conference has been delayed by an hour.

In a worrying development, Channel News Asia’s Indochina correspondent says it “looks like it could rain soon”.

Updated

Interior minister expected to make major announcement in press conference

A press conference is about to begin outside the Tham Luang caves where an announcement is expected to be made by Anupong Paojinda, the interior minister.

Our reporter Michael Safi is there.

Updated

It has been suggested that today’s search for viable sites on the mountainside to drill down from and into the caves so to reach the trapped boys have been unsuccessful. They say they will look again tomorrow.

Bill Whitehouse, the vice chairman of the British Cave Rescue Council which helped send the British divers who first met the trapped boys, said the death of volunteer rescuer and former Thai Seal, Saman Kunan, is “awful news” and demonstrates how dangerous the operation is.

“It illustrates the dangers in the operation that is being undertaken, it isn’t a walk in the park,” he told the Press Association.

“We don’t know the details of why it has happened, but things can happen.

“It is a very unforgiving environment, if something goes wrong you can’t just pop up to the surface.”

Kunan died during an overnight mission where he was strategically placing oxygen canisters along the mile-long route out, which takes five-hours to traverse, so that the divers can stay underwater for longer.

More than 130 million litres of water has been pumped from the cave this week and the operation will continue throughout the night as servicemen, volunteers and villagers alike work to drain the cave complex.

The Thai authority’s favoured way out for the boys is through the cave passageways but with torrential rain forecast on Saturday it is looking at other options.

Plan B involves drilling a shaft into the cave from above where the boys are situated. Reports from earlier today suggested that the rescue team believed that they were near to finding a viable site to drill down.

Updated

Professor Neil Greenberg from the Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health, King’s College London, has described the emotions that the trapped boys are likely to be currently experiencing.

In the days prior to being found, it is likely that the boys and the coach would have experienced a range of emotions including denial, anger, despair, acceptance and bargaining. These are common reactions in people who are trying to come to terms with a hugely stressful event. When the two divers arrived in their cavern, it is likely that, after a moment of disbelief, they would have experienced elation at least in the short term. Now the uncertainty of when and how they might be rescued will be beginning to set in.

However, there are a wide range of factors which might influence how they cope prior to them being ultimately rescued including team spirit, their health and the approach that the rescuers take to getting them to safety. It is also likely, given their age, that the nature of their communication with their families will also affect the children; anxiety expressed by their families could easily erode a child’s resilience. On the other hand a positive, “it’ll be just fine” approach may be an effective way of allaying their fears.

Greenberg goes on to say how many of the group may find it difficult to return to normal, while the coach may fear how he will be judged.

The coach may of course be concerned about how he will be judged when the situation is finally over. In the longer term, it may well be that many of the group will find it challenging to ‘return to normal’ when they are initially freed, however chances are most will be fine, perhaps even psychologically stronger in the longer term. We have to hope that if any of them do stay distressed for an extended period when released that they will be able to access good support and professional care to ensure that they are returned to a good state of health.”

As we wait for this evening’s press conference to convene, you may be interested to read our piece from Wednesday about where the boys found and how they can be rescued.

When 12 missing Thai boys and their football coach were found alive deep in a cave system on Monday, joy was tempered with anxiety. The caves are flooded with surging monsoon waters, pitch black and in places too narrow to allow rescuers to pass while carrying scuba gear. None of the boys can swim or dive. The dilemma: risk a highly dangerous escape or wait possibly months for the waters to subside.

Updated

These are the latest photos from the scene as it approaches 18:30 in Tham Luang, where another press conference is being prepared. Our reporter Michael Safi will bring you updates from the scene once it is underway.

Thai rescue workers prepare frogsuits for soldiers at the Tham Luang cave area as operations continue.
Thai rescue workers prepare frogsuits for soldiers at the Tham Luang cave area as operations continue. Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
Thai rescue workers convene behind a large pile of oxygen tanks.
Thai rescue workers convene behind a large pile of oxygen tanks. Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
Thai rescue workers and technicians are seen at the cave area.
Thai rescue workers and technicians are seen at the cave area. Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
Thai technicians move piping around the Tham Luang cave area.
Thai technicians move piping around the Tham Luang cave area. Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

We’ve compiled all of the tributes for Saman Kunan, the “national hero” who died delivering oxygen to the cave deep underground, and we will update this article as more information comes out.

The tech magazine, Wired, have published a fascinating article which delves into how the rescue operation is relying on some ‘totally ingenious tech hacks’ – drones, pumps, and 20-year-old DIY radios.

They’ve interviewed Thana Slanvetpan, a senior engineer at PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) who is managing a team of 30 volunteers from his company at the Tham Luang site.

“We didn’t know what the conditions at the site would be like,” he told Wired. “So we tried to bring all the technology that we thought could be useful.”

This included three aerial drones, equipped with 30x optical zoom lenses, and thermal cameras, the author wrote. These are routinely used for carrying out high-risk inspections of potential drilling sites, but found a new role during the search – first in creating a 3D aerial map of the area, and then in spotting potential access points into the cave from above.

“This is the equipment we use day in and day out,” Slanvetpan says – and it’s been a mixture of old and new technologies that have been instrumental in the rescue effort.

Drones and autonomous underwater vehicles may have captured the headlines, but radio kits made at home by tinkerers have been equally important in finding the lost football team.

It will take a similar combination to get them out safely. “Everyone is so delighted to see them alive, and to see them in good condition,” says Slanvetpan. “We can hardly wait to see them walking out from the cave – really, really soon.”

Updated

Footage from the headcam of one of the divers illustrates the extremely challenging conditions that present those within the cave complex.

Guide ropes have been installed to aid the descent of the rescue workers who are seen wading through the tunnel in waist-deep water with head torches illuminating the route ahead.

As they make their way deeper into the cave, the water suddenly deepens to around neck height, while the tunnel becomes ever narrower.

Stories continue to emerge about the lengths that volunteers from all over the world have gone to in order to get to the Tham Luang caves in northern Thailand.

Local authorities asked for skilled rock climbers who are prepared to climb at least 800 meters and Christoffer John Aquino, “Cedjie”, a Filipino national who has spent 17 years in Thailand, responded to their call and drove around 800km from Bangkok.

“I was called in to help as the cave entrance attempt was becoming quite a challenge due to rising water level. People were becoming restless and angry at the slow progress. So they sought another way in,” Cedjie said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.

“Heroes are six feet under. If you knew you could make a difference, wouldn’t you do something? I was just at the right place at the right time in a really bad situation.”

Cedije’s team receive a briefing prior to their mission.

As I just mentioned, rescuers are looking for possible holes above the 10-kilometer cave system that stretches into a mountain, and Cedjie is part of a team made up of rock climbers, cave experts and paramedics from countries including Cameroon, Russia and the United States.

“Was there a trail? No. Is climbing limestone in wet conditions difficult? F*** yeah! Is climbing limestone on trad gear in wet conditions more challenging? F**** suicide!”, Cedjie told ABC-CBN.

Rescue teams are foraging through dense woodland above the cave complex looking for another way to extract the trapped football team.

Forecasts for torrential rain have threatened the favoured plan to bring the boys back through the water-logged passageways to the cave’s entrance and hastened the search for a viable alternative.

“We want to find the way down. I believe we are close,” Thanes Weerasiri, president of the Engineering Institute of Thailand, told Reuters at a makeshift camp near the cave as helicopters buzzed overhead.

Rescue workers get ready to explore an area for shafts near the Tham Luang cave complex.
Rescue workers get ready to explore an area for shafts near the Tham Luang cave complex. Photograph: Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

Weerasiri’s engineers are chiselling away fragile limestone rocks that he said could be just hundreds of metres from where the boys are trapped.

“Originally we were exploring it as a way to bring supplies to the children from the back end of the cave, but now it could become more,” said Thanes.

Chalongchai Chaiyakum, a senior Thai army officer, said that one team travelled some 300 metres down a shaft on the hill on Thursday until they reached a dead end. He said that up to 200 people are exploring the hill to try to find a workable shaft.

Elon Musk offers to help save trapped boys

Following his musings on Twitter earlier, for The Boring Company - the tunnel construction company founded by Musk in 2016 - confirmed that it is speaking with the Thai government and is sending people to offer support on the ground.

A spokesman told the BBC: “We are speaking with the Thai government to see how we can help, and we are sending SpaceX/Boring Company people from the US to Thailand today to offer support on the ground.

“Once we confirm what exactly will be helpful to send or do, we will. We are getting feedback and guidance from the people on the ground in Chiang Rai to determine the best way for us to assist their efforts.”

According to Musk, SpaceX and The Boring Company have “advance ground penetrating radar” that is “pretty good at digging holes” or technology that could “create an air tunnel underwater” for the children to traverse.

Updated

CNN’s Tom Foreman has taken a virtual look at what the cave rescue could look like from the inside.

“Some of the divers say that in some places [of the tunnel] the opening is only as big as one single human being,” he says, alluding to the fact that at various points in any eventual escape the boys - many of whom cannot swim - would have to go it alone.

“Imagine trying to go through there with almost no visibility in rushing water, in the cold, while hauling someone behind you for an indeterminate amount of time.”

A Thai Buddhist monk leads military guards carrying a flag-draped coffin containing Saman Kunan’s body, the former Thai Navy Seal Petty Officer who died in the ongoing rescue operation, during a repatriation ceremony at Mae Fah Luang international airport in Chiang Rai province.

A Thai Buddhist monk leads military guards
A Thai Buddhist monk leads military guards. Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA

Members of the armed forces stand in salute as Kunan’s body is flown back to his hometown in Roi Et

Members of the armed forces stand in salute
Members of the armed forces stand in salute. Photograph: Linh Pham/Getty Images

Earlier this morning local time, the mother of one of the trapped Thai boys reacts to the announcement of Kunan’s death.

One of the boys mother’s prays as it emerges a Navy Seal has died during the rescue effort
One of the boys mother’s prays as it emerges a Navy Seal has died during the rescue effort. Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA

Outside the cave on Friday afternoon, the rescue effort continues as the Thai military deliver yet more water pumps.

Thai military bring water pumps to the cave
Thai military bring water pumps to the cave. Photograph: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

Nearby, Thai servicemen are getting haircuts. It is unclear whether this is for practical purposes - as many will be diving deep underground - or if it is merely due to the swelling media attention.

Members of the Thai Military get free hair cuts at the entrance of the cave
Members of the Thai Military get free hair cuts at the entrance of the cave. Photograph: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

Updated

Late last night, the FIFA president Gianni Infantino invited the 12 young Thai footballers, along with their coach, to the World Cup final in Moscow on July 15 if they are freed by that time.

“We have been anxiously following news of the rescue operation,” a statement said.

“On behalf of the international footballing community, I would like to join you in expressing our deepest sympathies and support to the families of the players and coach.

“If, as we all hope, they are reunited with their families in the coming days, and their health allows them to travel, FIFA would be delighted to invite them to attend the 2018 World Cup final in Moscow as our guests.”

Elon Musk, the SpaceX founder, has been discussing potential methods the rescuers could employ to aid their effort as SpaceX and Boring Co engineers head to Thailand to assist the government.

It remains to be seen whether this would be feasible but Musk has suggested that inserting “a 1m diameter nylon tube (or shorter set of tubes for most difficult sections)” through the cave network and “inflate with air like a bouncy castle” should create “an air tunnel underwater against cave roof and auto-conform to odd shapes like the 70cm hole”. This could potentially help pump the water and pave part of the way to make any future escape easier.

The Thai English-language newspapers, The Bangkok Post and The National, have both published infographics mapping the ongoing rescue operation and the possible escape routes.

Plan A, suggest The Bangkok Post, would see each of the boys dive make for the entrance with three Navy Seals.

It is reportedly taking professional divers six hours to reach them and five hours to return, meaning the journey would take much longer with the boys – many of whom cannot even swim.

Plan B would involve drilling a shaft into the cave where the boys are situated. This was thought to be the most dangerous option and, despite the authorities best efforts, the exact location for any potential drill has yet to be identified.

The National has posited four potential rescue options:

1. Drilling a sloped shaft

2. Finding a natural shaft (it must be said that no such shaft has yet been found)

3. Providing food and supplies to the boys so that they can wait months for the floodwaters to subside.

4. Diving and trekking out of the flooded cave.

Updated

Cave diver says he believes rescue will happen “today or tomorrow”

Danish volunteer cave diver Ivan Karadzic has told Sky News he believes a rescue of the 12 schoolboys and their football coach trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand will happen “today or tomorrow”.

“There’s few people who have experience rescuing kids from deep inside the cave,” he said, explaining the difficulties posed to the rescuers.

How soon do you think it will happen? “Today or tomorrow, I think,” he said.

As preparations around the cave intensify, Saman Kunan’s body has been taken aboard a C-120 to be sent to Bangkok airport where he will receive a royal-sponsored funeral in the coming days.

Updated

One of 33 men rescued from a mine in San José, Chile in 2010 – after they were trapped deep underground for 69 days – has recorded a touching message to the footballers and their coach.

“I have no doubt that if we pray and if the government does everything this rescue will be a success,” says Mario Sepulveda. “We will be praying for each one of you and your families ... and each of the children facing this challenge.”

The Chilean men survived choking, blinding dust and rationed meagre stocks of tinned tuna and peaches into a near-starvation diet. The Guardian’s Rory Carroll reported from the scene as the first men reached the surface.

Updated

Sarb Johal from the Joint Centre for Disaster Research at Massey University, an international centre for research and teaching in disaster risk and emergency management, has spoken about the psychological impact on the trapped boys.

He says that not only will they be psychologically disorientated but that “many of their basic physiological functions that depend upon circadian rhythms will be disturbed.”

From the perspective of those boys and their coach, the relief of being found may co-exist with the knowledge that they remain stuck and that their future remains uncertain. It’s hard to know for certain what they do and do not know about their chances of rescue in the short term, and how they may adapt to trying to deal with the possibility that rising floods waters may be a threat to their ability to survive their ordeal, or that they may remain trapped for weeks or months while people figure out the best plan or action.

We also know that the physical circumstances in which the boys and their coach are trapped also have the potential to cause harm. The lack of daylight over this period of time means that they may not only be psychologically disoriented, but that many of their basic physiological functions that depend upon circadian rhythms will be disturbed, such as sleep, hormonal functioning, core temperature, their feeding and drinking, and also how their gastrointestinal systems might be functioning.

Johal says that setting up circadian-based light, which triggers the release of serotonin much like the sun, within the cave might prove to the boys’ longterm health.

If circadian-based lighting can be established in the cave - should the boys actually have to establish themselves there for a long period or time - that may help to regularise some of these bodily functions and go a long way to helping to develop some kind of routine in day-to-day living in this extraordinary situation. Synchronising routines with the outside world through light and daily patterns of living might also be a powerful connection to establish a sense of hope.

Support for each other when they are trapped is also important - but situations may also become fraught when forced to stay together for an extended period of time with so much uncertainty and likely stress. It’s hard to know how it will play out but critical points may emerge, such as who may be selected to attempt escape first and how those choices are made. There are no easy answers to such dilemmas, and there may be many more to come.

He goes on to explain the mixed emotions that the rescuers must be currently experiencing, adding that they themselves will need care and support as the mission unfolds.

From the perspective of the rescuers, including the divers who have established contact with the trapped boys and coach, it is likely to be a time of mixed emotions. Joy at being able to find them alive, yet mixed with the reality of the challenge that lies before everyone in trying to extract them to safety. Drawing from the established body of research, it is likely that they and other members of the rescue teams will need care and support for their own wellbeing as this situation unfolds.

Updated

A video has emerged of Saman Kunan as he waited to board a plane to join the rescue mission in Chiang Rai.

“I am at Suvanahabhumi airport waiting to board the plane to join the mission in Chiang Rai,” he said.

“I’m accompanied by doctors from Navy and divers from Sea World that also donates lots of diving equipment. See you this evening. We will bring the kids home.”

ITV’s Richard Galsford is reporting from the scene and spoke to Good Morning Britain earlier this morning.

[Kunan] made that return journey which can last 5-6 hours and very sadly ran out of oxygen himself. He then lost consciousness, his dive buddy pulled him out of the cave system but he was then pronounced dead.

The Thai navy say they’re going to continue with the mission and in fact we’re seeing a huge amount of activity here around the entrances to the cave this afternoon.

They’re continuing to pump out large amounts of water as well, trying to get the levels down in this complex cave system.

They have a bit of a race against time. The monsoon rains are on the way. We’ve had showers today, we’ve got treacherous storms coming in over the weekend and that will just help fill that cave system up again.”

Updated

The BBC’s Nick Beake has posted a photo of Saman Kunan, who was reportedly 38, following a triathlon. The avid runner had left the navy but returned to aid in the rescue operation.

He lost consciousness as he left the cave complex where had been delivering air tanks to help boost oxygen levels underground. Quite rightly, he is being described as a national hero.

“His job was to deliver oxygen. He did not have enough on his way back,” the Chiang Rai deputy governor said.

This is Mattha Busby taking over from Kate Lyons.

Thai authorities say they have a “limited amount of time” to rescue the boys and are racing to make preparations amid worsening weather and lowered oxygen levels in the underground complex.

“We can no longer wait for all conditions (to be ready) because circumstances are pressuring us,” Thai SEAL commander Arpakorn Yookongkaew told a news conference.

“We originally thought the boys can stay safe inside the cave for quite some time but circumstances have changed. We have limited amount of time.”

Tributes to Saman Kunan, the former Thai navy Seal who died while placing air tanks along the route down to where the boys are trapped, are being paid as candles burn at a shrine outside of the cave.

What we know so far

  • A former Thai navy Seal diver has died during the rescue efforts, officials have announced.
  • The diver has been named as Saman Kunan, 38, from Roi Et, a former Thai navy Seal who was assisting in the rescue efforts in a volunteer capacity.
  • He died when he ran out of air while diving in the caves at 1am last night. He had been placing air tanks in the caves, as part of preparations for a potential rescue mission.
  • Tributes have been paid to Saman, who was described by the Thai navy Seals as “a skilled and talented Seal” who loved adventure sports and who “always participated in the Seal activities until the last step of his life”.
  • It is unclear how Saman’s death will affect plans to rescue the 12 children and their football coach currently trapped in the Tham Luang cave network.
  • A spokesman asked how children could be ferried through this cave if an adult former navy Seal died in there, replied: “We have to try everything.”
  • Officials are involved in a race against time as monsoon rains are set to hit northern Thailand at any moment. When they do there are fears that any rescue attempt involving the boys diving out of the caves will become impossible.
  • The oxygen supply in the cave has dropped to 15%. Normal oxygen levels in the air are about 21%. The presence of hundreds of rescue workers inside the cave has been depleting the air supply the boys have been relying on.
  • Officials are desperately trying to lay down a pipe that can carry air into the cave where the boys are in case they become trapped by raising water during the monsoon season.
  • Deputy army commander Chalongchai Chaiyakham said he was unsure how long the boys could survive in such conditions. “I’m not a medical person. I can’t answer that,” he said. Divers have released 30 tanks of air to try to restore healthy levels.
  • The chief engineer involved in the rescue mission has told the Guardian that he thinks a team may be able to drill down to where the boys are and get them out that way.

Updated

Tributes paid to diver who died

Saman Kunan, the former Thai navy Seal who died in the cave where the 12 boys and their soccer coach are trapped.
Saman Kunan, the former Thai navy Seal who died in the cave where the 12 boys and their soccer coach are trapped. Photograph: Twitter

The Thai navy Seals have paid tribute to Saman Kunan, the former navy Seal diver who died while volunteering in rescue efforts at the Tham Luang caves. The text of the tribute, posted by the navy Seals is below:

“See you in Chiang Rai” was the message circulated in a group chat of former Seal officers as they learned about a search and rescue mission for the Moo Pa Academy players and their coach.

The mission requires a lot of divers to support those divers at the frontline including preparation for moving the 12 footballers and coach. Saman Kunan was responsible for placing tanks from the third chamber to the T-junction. When he finished placing the tank on his way back, his buddy found him unconscious and gave him first aid but couldn’t save him.

Saman Kunan ... left the unit to work at the Suvarnabhumi airport in 2006. He was a skilled and talented Seal and a triathlon athlete. He loved adventurous sport. Even after he departed the Seal unit, he still kept in touch and maintained a tie with the rest of his former colleagues. He always participated in the Seal activities until the last step of his life. Saman left us while working as a diver and in a time where all divers joining forces to complete the mission.

His effort and determination will always remain the hearts of all divers.

May you rest in peace and we will accomplish this mission as you had wished.

Reports are circulating that heavy rains have arrived at the Tham Luang caves, where the boys are currently trapped. Our correspondent on the ground assures us the heavy rains have come and gone, lasting for just five minutes.

This is good news, but is also just a temporary reprieve. Monsoon rains are due to arrive at any moment and when they do there are fears that any rescue attempt involving the boys diving out of the caves will become impossible and that the desperate attempts to reduce water levels to make a rescue operation safer will have been in vain.

Away from the tragedy in the cave and in a gesture that shows the enormous outpouring of concern for the trapped group from across the globe, Fifa has invited the young footballers to attend the World Cup final in Moscow if they are out of the cave and well enough to travel by the time of the event.

“On behalf of the international football community, I would like to join you in expressing my deepest sympathies and support to the families of the players and coach, as well as my solidarity with the people of Thailand at this time of great concern,” Gianni Infantino, the president of Fifa said in a letter to the president of the Football Association of Thailand.

“If, as we all hope, they are reunited with their families in the coming days and their health allows them to travel, Fifa would be delighted to invite them to attend the 2018 World Cup final in Moscow as our guests.”

This is one of many gestures from the international football community.

Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool Football Club manager, recorded a video for CNN Sport telling the boys: “Stay strong and we are with you. We are following all the news and hoping every second that you see the daylight again.”

Brazilian football legend Ronaldo said: “It is terrible news and the world of football hopes that someone can find a way to take these kids out of there.”

After their defeat at the World Cup, the Japanese team sent a message to the boys on Twitter, writing “Hang on, football family are with you!”

The chief engineer involved in the rescue mission has told the Guardian that he thinks a team may be able to drill down to where the boys are located and get them out that way.

Drilling was previously believed to be too dangerous an option, given the small space the boys and their coach are trapped in, and the fact that they are believed to be between 800m and 1km below the surface.

Schematic of where the boys are trapped.

Thai authorities are progressing several different plans at once to try to reach the boys – including drilling a hole from the top of the mountain to find them. Thanes Weerasin, the president of the Engineering Institute of Thailand, who is supervising a drilling crew currently in the jungle above the boys, told the Guardian he was exploring one particularly promising tunnel with a large hole about 100m into it.

“It’s a big hole, about 1.2m by 1m,” he said. “You can go down using a rope … I think this place can lead to the children because after your foot touches the ground below, you can walk through using the compass and direct it to the tunnel [where the children are stuck].”

About 20m in the direction of the boys, Weerasin said he reached another hole that was obstructed by a boulder. He wedged a borescope through a gap and saw it extended up to another 10m.

He believes the hole leads to the boys because when he lit a fire, smoke flowed quickly through cracks around the boulder, presumably because of the water being pumped from the main cave on the other side.

“It went very quickly. I think that is caused by the pumping of the water from the end of the tunnel and outside at the entrance,” he said.

He believes the hole could eventually lead to Nom Sao slope, the area past Pattaya Beach where the children and their coach are sheltering. “I think this hole is near there.”

Updated

Saman Kunan, the former navy diver who died last night in the cave where the boys are trapped.
Saman Kunan, the former navy diver who died last night in the cave where the boys are trapped. Photograph: Facebook

We believe this is Saman Kunan, the former navy Seal diver, who died last night after running out of air while diving in the caves where the 12 boys and their football coach are trapped.

Saman is no longer employed by the navy, he volunteered as part of the rescue mission.

Thai Armed Force website offered their condolences to Saman’s family and wrote that “Cave diving is one of the most difficult jobs in the world.”

Updated

Level of oxygen in cave has dropped

The level of oxygen in the cave where the boys are trapped has dropped to 15%, authorities have confirmed. The usual level is around 21%.

Asked how long that would last the boys, deputy commander Chalongchai Chaiyakham replied: “I’m not a medical person, I can’t answer that.”

Maintaining air supplies inside the cave emerged as a key challenge on Friday as rescuers faced the prospect of the boys remaining underground throughout the monsoon season that ends in October.

The presence of hundreds of rescue workers inside the cave has been depleting the air supplies the boys have been relying on, Narongsak Osatanakorn, the governor of Chiang Rai province said at a briefing on Friday.

It was during a mission to place air tanks along the route to the boys, the current method for refreshing the air supply in the cave, that the former Seal, identified as Saman Kunan, died around 1am on Friday morning.

Michael Safi’s full report about the death of the former navy diver and concerns the trapped boys are running out of air is here.

Michael Safi has this report from Mae Sai about the death of the navy diver and ongoing concerns about air supply in the cave where the boys are sheltering.

The former Seal, identified as Saman Kunan, died around 1am on Friday morning after he was returning from placing air tanks along the roughly 3.2km route to the boys, the current method for refreshing the air supply in cave.

Kunan became unconscious while making the return journey from “chamber three”, around 1.5km inside the cave. A diving buddy tried to revive him but was unsuccessful. His body has been sent to Bangkok airport and he will receive a royal-sponsored funeral.

“These accidents can happen sometimes to anyone in the field, but we will go ahead and keep working,” said Rear Adm Arpakorn Yookongkaew, the Thai navy SEAL commander. “Our morale is still strong.”

He was asked how the 12 boys, at least two of who are said to be in a weakened state, could survive a journey through a cave that killed an adult former Seal.

“It’s different,” he said. “The Seals are the workers, they work to rescue, it’s a different standard to the kids. The boys are like the egg in the stone,” he said, a Thai expression suggestion the children were considered extremely fragile and would be treated with care.

The Thai king has announced that Saman Kunan’s funeral will be royally-sponsored.

Saman was coming back from a spot inside the Tham Luang cave where the group were located on Monday when his supplies ran short. On the way back he lost consciousness. His diving partner performed CPR but was unable to revive him.

Saman was pronounced dead at about 1am local time.

We are now updating our spelling of the name of the former navy diver who died while assisting in rescue operations. Previously we had spelled it Samarn, which we believed to be correct, but according to the man’s Facebook page, his name is spelled Saman. Apologies for that error.

Michael Safi reports that it is now raining at the entrance to the Tham Luang cave.

Songpol Kanthawong, 13 did not go to the cave with his teammates because he did not bring his bike to football practice.
Songpol Kanthawong, 13 did not go to the cave with his teammates because he did not bring his bike to football practice. Photograph: Michael Safi for the Guardian

Michael Safi, our south Asia correspondent, is in Mae Sai and spoke with two of the boys on the Wild Boar football team who did not go to the caves with their teammates after training on 23 June.

One, Songpol Kanthawong, 13, didn’t go because he didn’t take his bike to practice that day. The other, Thaweechai Nameng, 13, had been ordered by his parents to return home after practice to catch up on homework.

The full story is here:

Updated

Following on the heels of the terrible news of the death of the former navy Seal diver assisting with the rescue mission, there are now also concerns about the oxygen levels in the cave where the boys and their coach are trapped.

Chiang Rai governor Narongsak Osotthanakor, said oxygen levels in the cave have been depleted by the large number of rescue workers working in the cave network. Officials are now working to get a 5km-long cable into the cave where the boys are to supply them with air.

The imminent monsoon rains, which could trap the boys inside the cave for up to four months, have combined with the treacherous dive conditions, to make this a very very difficult rescue operation.

Who are the boys trapped in the cave?

While we wait for more news about the Thai diver who has died and any plans to rescue the trapped group today, Jacob Goldberg and Veena Thoopkrajae, reporting for the Guardian in Mae Sai, have compiled profiles of the boys and their coach.

Adul Sam-on, 14, was able to communicate with the British divers in English.
Adul Sam-on, 14, was able to communicate with the British divers. Photograph: Thai Rath

Among them is Adul Sam-on, 14, who spoke to British divers on Monday night. When the boys saw the lights of the divers torches the boys assumed they were explorers, unaware of the headlines and sympathy their plight had inspired around the world. Adul was the one who communicated with them, calling out in English to ask them what day it was and tell them that he and his friends were hungry. His teammates, unable to follow the conversation, chattered “eat, eat, eat” with the little English they had. Adul assured his friends: “I already told them.”

His English skills have won him the admiration of millions in Thailand, where fewer than 30% of the population speak the language. According to local news outlets, his knowledge of English comes from his involvement in church activities. He also speaks Thai, Mandarin, and Burmese, which he learned living just over the border in Shan state, Myanmar.

You can read their full story here.

What we know so far

  • A former Thai navy Seal diver has died during the rescue efforts, officials have announced.
  • The diver has been named as Saman Kunan, 38, from Roi Et, a former Thai navy Seal who was assisting in the rescue efforts in a volunteer capacity.
  • He died when he ran out of air, while diving in the caves at 1am last night. He had been placing air tanks in the caves, as part of preparations for a potential rescue mission.
  • His body has been sent to Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok.
  • It is unclear how his death will affect plans to rescue the 12 children and their football coach currently trapped in the Tham Luang cave network.
  • One of the rescue plans being explored by Thai officials is of getting the children to wear diving masks and having them escorted through the caves by navy divers.
  • A spokesman asked how children can be ferried through this cave if an adult former navy Seal died in there, replied: “We have to try everything.”

Updated

It is unclear how the death of the diver will affect plans to rescue the children. Obviously the death of an experienced former navy Seal diver raises questions about how safe it will be for the children – who have no diving experience – to dive out of the caves.

A spokesman was asked about this and replied: “We have to try everything”.

The incident occurred at 1am local time (about nine hours ago).

Jacob Goldberg, reporting for the Guardian, says that the diver died when he ran out of air while placing air tanks at stages throughout the cave. His body has been sent to Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok and his hometown is Roi Et.

Updated

Diver who died during operation has been named

The name of the diver who has died during the operation has been named as Saman Kunan, 38, a former Thai navy Seal. He died while placing air tanks around the cave.

Updated

Former Thai navy Seal involved in rescue has died

A former Thai navy Seal aiding in rescue efforts has died in the tunnel due to a lack of oxygen.

The death was confirmed at the press conference and people have been paying tribute to the diver on Facebook.

Updated

A press conference has begun. Officials are updating the gathered press scrum about what’s going on. Our south Asia correspondent Michael Safi is there, we’ll post updates as soon as they’re through.

Updated

As we reported yesterday, some of the group are unwell. Two of the boys and their coach have been diagnosed with malnutrition and exhaustion. This could be a complicating factor in any potential rescue dive, which would be a five hour dive in tricky conditions.

Yesterday, Chiang Rai governor Narongsak Osotthanakor, said they would consider rescuing the boys in stages – taking out those who are strong enough sooner.

“We are racing against the rain,” the coordinator of this rescue operation said yesterday.

This morning in Chiang Rai, some of that rain is predicted to arrive. It’s a sign that the window of unseasonable sunshine that authorities have been granted this week is coming to an end, and the 12 boys may soon be cut off for months.

Authorities at the cave site are giving little away, but a stream of rescue workers, divers and soldiers are continuing to arrive and the work of pumping water from the caves is ongoing.

Yesterday the target was an area known as chamber three – still at least two kilometres from the ledge where the boys are sheltering. It is unclear if the team can drain enough water for the boys to walk out – that’s plan A – but at some point today they may decide enough water is gone to risk taking the boys on the five-hour journey to the exit.

But the boys are also safe where they are. If the rains do arrive, authorities might decide keeping them in the cave until the monsoon eases, possibly in October, is preferable to risking a journey in the jagged, muddy cave system where they’ve been stranded the past 13 days.

Rescuers have been working around the clock to drain the caves, employing hundreds of pumps, in the hope that by reducing the water level the boys will be able to leave the caves without having to attempt a dangerous dive.

Last night the Thai Navy SEALs shared photographs of the teams working to pump out the water, saying they had made it possible to walk between chambers two and three, and that officials would all “work long into the night to get the young footballers home soon”.

Michael Safi reports that rain clouds above Mae Sai are “much lower and darker” than on previous days.

Monsoon rains, predicted to arrive any day, are a major source of concern for the rescue teams. The governor of the province, who is heading up the search efforts, said they were in a “race against time”. as monsoon rains are predicted this weekend, which could mean the boys are trapped inside the cave and cut off from the entrance – meaning they are cut off from supplies and communication – for up to four months until the end of the monsoon season.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the rescue efforts to free the trapped football team and their coach from the Tham Luang caves in northern Thailand.

We are now entering the fourth day since the boys were found in the cave by British divers after a nine-day round-the-clock search. Since they were found on Monday night, officials have been trying to find a safe way to bring the boys, who are trapped 5km into the caves, out to safety.

My colleague Michael Safi is at the cave and will be filing reports as they come in, you can follow him on Twitter here. You can follow me on Twitter here and email me on kate.lyons@theguardian.com with any questions or tips.

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Is It a Red Flag If Your Partner Won’t Post You on Social Media?
What does it mean if your partner doesn't post photos of you?
We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered
Seeing influencers drink makes young adults want to drink too, study finds
The content young people see on social media influences their behaviour towards alcohol, according to a new study.
Euronews
Euronews
Anxiety in teenagers linked to sugary drinks – new research
Anxiety affects an estimated one in five teenagers. The condition can seriously affect their social lives, school performance and overall wellbeing. And, worryingly, anxiety disorders that begin during adolescence often continue into adulthood.
The Conversation
The Conversation
Influencer debuts travel ‘hack’ – wash underwear in hotel coffeemaker. Now hate wrapped in whispers of $1M lawsuit stalk her
This is just plain gross.
We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered
‘I have never been so mortified in my life’: Woman picks a seat on Southwest Airlines—until a flight attendant tells her she should’ve bought two
A TikToker has gone viral after her encounter with an airline staff member proved one thing: fatphobia remains alive and well.
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
Why Modern Beauty Ideals Are Hurting Women More Than Ever
Beauty standards have existed for centuries, but today they are amplified by social media, filters, celebrity culture, and advertising. Women are constantly exposed to images of “ideal” bodies and flawless appearances. But are these standards damaging women’s confidence? Research in psychology and mental health suggests that unrealistic beauty expectations can…
MyLifeXP
MyLifeXP
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play