We’re going to pause our live coverage of the events unfolding in Thailand. But will resume live coverage as soon as we have more information or any rescue is attempted.
Here’s what we know so far:
- We are now into the third day since the boys were located in the cave in northern Thailand.
- The boys are still trapped in the cave, but now have foil blankets, food, light, medical care and seven navy divers – including medics – to keep them company.
- Rescue efforts, which involve multiple international teams and hundreds of people, are proceeding on three separate fronts.
- Plan A is to teach the boys to dive so that they can dive out of the cave escorted by navy divers, and the governor reported that the boys have begun doing practice dives in the cave.
- Plan B is to drain the cave system so that the children can walk out of the caves wearing life jackets meaning they don’t need to dive.
- Authorities have announced they have reduced the water levels in the first section of the cave – a 1.5km stretch from the entrance to a point they are calling chamber three – by 40%. It is now possible to walk through the water up to chamber three.
- Plan C is to drill down to the cave where the boys are stranded and rescue them that way. The governor earlier ruled out drilling as an option because the boys are between 800m and 1km below the surface and in a confined space, so it was not thought to be safe.
- Monsoon rains are expected to arrive over the weekend. If they arrive before the boys have been freed, rising water levels could means the boys are trapped in the cave and cut off from supplies and communication for four months.
- Chiang Rai provincial governor Narongsak Osatanakorn said they were in a “race against time” and were evaluating risk levels to assess when they should evacuate rescue teams, given the predicted rainfall later this week.
See our full news report for more information here.
Australia is sending two defence specialists with expertise in disaster recovery to help in the rescue of a young soccer team trapped in a flooded Thai cave complex.
The search has drawn assistance from experts around the globe, including six dive specialists from the Australian Federal Police.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Thursday announced that number would be bolstered by the two Australian Defence Force disaster recovery experts.
“An additional senior Australian Federal Police (AFP) officer will also be deployed to support planning and coordination efforts,” she said in a statement.
Relieved all 13 have been found safe and well after joint Thai/international search effort at #ThamLuang @dfat @AusFedPolice #YourADF 🇹🇭🇦🇺https://t.co/w9WP7jHWsa pic.twitter.com/hyUapr9z3G
— Julie Bishop (@JulieBishopMP) July 3, 2018
Rain was now the biggest worry, said Narongsak Osatanakorn, the governor of Chiang Rai province, who is coordinating the rescue efforts. “I’ve asked the meteorological department to check the weather forecast and report to us daily,” he said.
A fibre-optic cable was being laid inside the cave and would reach the boys soon, he added, so the children would be able to speak to and possibly see their parents on video.
With wet weather looming, authorities are also calculating how long they are willing to allow rescuers to remain in the cave before they order an evacuation – one that could cut the boys off for up to four months.
Updates on the condition of the boys and the water levels were being slowed by the length of the journey to reach the children. “It’s about 11 hours – six on the way from the entrance to where the kids are and five on the way back,” he said.
Read Michael Safi’s full report from Mae Sai here.
A cartoon in today’s edition of the English language Thai newspaper, the Nation, shows something of the pride the country is feeling at the toughness of the boys who have been trapped underground for more than 12 days now.
Cartoon by @stephffart in today’s edition of The Nation newspaper #ThamLuang #13ชีวิตรอดแล้ว #ถ้ำหลวง #Thailand pic.twitter.com/PBxfmrw6Vd
— Richard Barrow in Thailand (@RichardBarrow) July 5, 2018
Updated
This map shows how Plan B (the draining plan) would work. Currently rescuers have been able to drain the 1.5km stretch to chamber three. The governor of the province said they had been able to reduce the levels of the water by 40% so that it was possible to wade up to chamber three from the entrance wearing a life jacket.
Chamber three is still full of water up to the ceiling and authorities are now working to drain it and then proceed along the remaining 2.5km stretch of caves to where the boys are, draining this network as well.
If they are able to reduce the water levels sufficiently it is hoped the boys will be able to leave the cave without having to dive.
What we know so far
- We are now into the third day since the boys were located in the cave in northern Thailand.
- Authorities have announced they have reduced the water levels in the first section of the cave – a 1.5km stretch from the entrance to a point they are calling chamber three – by 40%. It is now possible to walk through the water up to chamber three.
- The rescue plan is proceeding on three separate fronts.
- Plan A is to teach the boys to dive so that they can dive out of the cave escorted by navy divers, and the governor reported that the boys have begun doing practice dives in the cave.
- Plan B is to drain the cave system so that the children can walk out of the caves wearing life jackets meaning they don’t need to dive.
-
Each pump – and there are hundreds at the site – can drain 13,000 litres per hour. Authorities are installing more pumps and are asking electrical engineers to find a way to provide more power for the operation.
- Plan C is to drill down to the cave where the boys are stranded and rescue them that way. The governor earlier ruled out drilling as an option because the boys are between 800m and 1km below the surface and in a confined space, so it was not thought to be safe.
- Chiang Rai provincial governor Narongsak Osatanakorn said they were in a “race against time” and were evaluating risk levels to assess when they should evacuate rescue teams, given that monsoon rains are predicted to arrive on the weekend.
Updated
The governor has been asked how the boys are still breathing. He said it is believed there is an air hole and 30 teams have been assigned to try to find the opening of this air hole, believing it may be an alternate exit.
The governor also reports that the boys have started diving practice.
The governor has confirmed that they may split the group, something he said yesterday they would not do. reports Michael Safi from the press conference being held at the cave entrance.
“The children who are prepared we will bring them first” said Narongsak Osatanakorn, the governor of Chiang Rai province, who is coordinating the rescue efforts.
Narongsak would not confirm if there will be a rescue attempt today
The governor has told the press conference that they are trying to evaluate the level of risk to work out when they will need to evacuate rescuers from the area if the rains come.
More from the press conference, it appears that Thai authorities are proceeding with three rescue plans at the same time: diving, draining and drilling.
Key plan today is to find the exact spot above where the boys are sheltering and see if it's possible to drill inside #ThamLuang @MsKateLyons They are essentially progressing plans A, B and C all at once.
— michael safi (@safimichael) July 5, 2018
Authorities have warned well-meaning locals against showing up and trying to drain water themselves without consulting with authorities.
The worry is they will drain the water back into the cave, not downstream towards rice paddies.
Michael Safi has more from an ongoing press conference that the governor is holding about rescue efforts.
“We are in a race against time”, said Narongsak Osatanakorn, the governor of Chiang Rai province.
Reaching the boys from the entrance of the cave is an 11-hour round trip for divers, and Narongsak says efforts are ongoing to find find another way in.
In lighter news, the name of the ledge where the boys are sheltering has a name that translates to “young woman’s breast,” the governor has just told the gathered press.
Michael Safi reports that authorities are saying they will run a communications line into the cave today, possibly with video, so that boys will be able to see their parents.
Robert Harper, one of the British divers involved in the rescue efforts, has been farewelled at the airport by Thai officials.
Thai PBS has footage of Harper, who is not believed to be one of the two British divers who initially reached the boys, but who worked closely with them, being escorted through the airport by military personnel.
Harper was presented with a framed “certificate of appreciation”, which thanked him “for your public service to the citizens of Thailand” and included the line: “Your dedication to duty and professionalism reflects the highest credit upon yourself”.
He was also given a framed drawing of himself with Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, the two divers who first found the boys, in front of a cartoon heart and with the football team and their coach around them.
ส่ง 1 ในผู้เชี่ยวชาญด้านดำน้ำในถ้ำชาวอังกฤษกลัับประเทศ หลังเสร็จสิ้นภารกิจส่วนหนึ่ง โดยข้อมูลระบุว่า ที่ต้องเดินทางกลับก่อนเพื่อนร่วมทีม เพราะต้องไปพบแพทย์ตามนัด #ทีมหมูป่า #13ชีวิตต้องรอด #ถ้ำหลวง #13ชีวิตปลอดภัย #13ชีวิตรอดแล้ว #ThaiPBS #วันใหม่ไทยพีบีเอส pic.twitter.com/z64VXJ1JIL
— ThaiPBS (@ThaiPBS) July 5, 2018
Boys may be able to walk out
Rescuers are now able to enter the cave and make it as far as chamber three – about 1.5km into the cave network – without scuba gear.
“The water has been reduced by 40% so we can enter the cave without any diving equipment,” said Poonsak Woongsatngiem, a rescue official with Thailand Interior Ministry.
Officials have warned that chamber three still has water reaching up to the roof of the cave and so the focus is now on draining chamber three and the 2.5km passage from chamber three to where the boys are currently sheltering.
“The so-called chamber three is still in crucial stage. We want to drain water as much as we can,” said Poonsak. “However, I couldn’t estimate the depth. It varies because some areas may be deeper. We target the water in the third chamber to reduce to the point that no diving equipment is needed, like to the waistline, so one can wear just life jackets and walk out.”
Updated
Authorities hope boys can be moved without scuba gear
Michael Safi has just spoken to Khao Khiewpakdi, head of Bangkok Metro Administration’s fire and rescue unit, who says a plan is in place to retrieve the boys.
The plan is to try to drain the cave enough that the boys can be extracted without need to use scuba gear. They may still have to swim, but won’t be fully submerged.
Khao says authorities have managed to drain the first 1.5km of the cave, leading up to the third basin along the route, where water levels are still up the ceiling.
The focus today will be draining that basin and pressing on the other 2.5km to where the boys are sheltering.
Khao estimates that each pump can drain 13,000 litres per hour. Authorities are installing more pumps and are asking electrical engineers to find a way to provide more power for the operation.
One of the Chilean miners who was trapped underground for 69 days in 2010 said he is raising funds to travel to Thailand and help the rescue effort however he can.
“I’m going to see what’s possible,” Mario Sepulveda told AFP. “I’m calling someone from the [Chilean] government to try to get some money together. I think it’s important as a country for us to be there, after what we miners went through.”
“I would love to go. I think it would be extremely important to support the families, give them a hug. Words of encouragement are important.”
Sepulveda sent a message to the trapped boys to “hang in there” and urged the authorities to waste no time and spare no expense.
“What we need here is for the Thai government to put in a lot of money, and whoever else wants to donate, and get professional divers in there to get those boys out now,” he said.
“They need to teach them to dive as quickly as possible.”
Our south Asia correspondent Michael Safi is on the ground in Mae Sai and reports that a path has been marked out that the boys will pass along once they have been rescued and it is already the scene of a colourful shrine.
Along the path the boys will pass once they are freed from #thamluangcave a colourful shrine is expanding each day @MsKateLyons pic.twitter.com/UrKkJPZwGX
— michael safi (@safimichael) July 5, 2018
The front pages of the English language Thai newspapers are again focused on the rescue mission. While yesterday they warned of the risks of diving the boys to safety, today, the Nation urges “Diving the top option to evacuate 13 despite risk” and the Bangkok Post’s headline is: “King urges speedy rescue from cave”.
First look at this morning’s newspapers in #Thailand (Thursday 5 July 2018)
— Richard Barrow in Thailand (@RichardBarrow) July 4, 2018
🔹 Bangkok Post - King urges speedy rescue from cave
🔹 The Nation - Diving the top option to evacuate 13 despite risk
👉 More news: https://t.co/OluqA5RbeH & https://t.co/w1Z2oeNLu2 #ThamLuang #ถ้ำหลวง pic.twitter.com/XH5Iszj0gF
Elon Musk has said he is “happy to help” with the rescue efforts if there is anything he could do to contribute.
Replying to someone on Twitter who asked if he would assist, the Tesla co-founder, wrote “I suspect the Thai govt has this under control, but I’m happy to help if there is a way to do so”.
I suspect that the Thai govt has this under control, but I’m happy to help if there is a way to do so
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 4, 2018
There is a lot of discussion about potential rescue operations.
A rescue plan was outlined yesterday, which involved putting the boys into dive gear and having them escorted out of the cave by navy divers. That plan would involve:
- The boys would be dressed in wetsuits, boots and helmets, and divers would use an 8mm static rope that is already in place to guide them through the cave system.
- It is unlikely the boys will carry their own 12-litre air tanks – they are more likely to be provided with oxygen from a navy diver’s supply.
- In addition to this, filled “stage tanks” are also in place every 25 to 50 metres along the route, allowing the boys quick access to oxygen if their stocks run low.
- Thai-speaking divers with whom the boys have formed some bond would function as guides for the boys. “They need the comfort, they need to speak to someone in their mother tongue, someone who can keep them calm,” said Torsten Torsten Lechler, a diver who works for Mermaid Subsea Services in Bangkok.
However, experienced divers are wary of taking out the boys through the dark and dangerous waters still in the cave, especially since they are untrained.
“We are talking kilometers of transport under the water with zero visibility,” said Claus Rasmusen, a certified cave diving instructor based in Thailand who has been helping Thai SEAL team with logistics. “It’s difficult.”
If they cannot remove the boys before monsoon rains begin, which is predicted to happen this weekend, authorities have warned the cave could flood, trapping the boys in the cave for months and cutting them off from the entrance, meaning they were unable to receive supplies or have communication with the outside world.
Authorities said they were still exploring other options, such as scouring the mountainside for other ways into the cave and finding faster ways to pump water from the cave.
Michael Safi also reports that a novel idea is being floated around the site this morning: the possibility of inserting a tiny capsule into the cave, in which the boys can be placed one by one and guided the approximately 4km journey from their cavern to the cave’s entrance.
A Thai official overseeing the rescue operation of a soccer team trapped in a flooded cave said the 12 boys and their coach may not all be extracted at the same time depending on their health.
“All 13 may not come out at the same time. If the condition is right and if that person is ready 100 percent, he can come out,” said Chiang Rai provincial governor Narongsak Osatanakorn on Wednesday. “If the condition is right and if that person is ready 100%, he can come out.”
Narongsak said that the boys have been practicing wearing diving masks and breathing, but he doesn’t believe they have attempted any practice dives.
The window to remove the boys before the monsoon rains hit is rapidly closing as monsoon rains are predicted to arrive on Saturday.
Twelve days since a dozen boys and their football coach wandered into a northern Thailand cave, authorities are still fighting the water to get them out.
Hundreds of pumps are gushing water into the surrounding areas in a bid to make the caves safe enough to remove the boys.
Clouds are still present above the site, a reminder of the urgency of beginning a rescue attempt.
A novel idea is being floated around the site this morning: the possibility of inserting a tiny capsule into the cave, in which the boys can be placed one by one and guided the approximately 4km journey from their cavern to the cave’s entrance.
It is unclear how realistic that option is or whether Thailand has the equipment immediately available to do so. We hope to find out more at the governor’s daily briefing later this morning.
For a full guide to where the boys are and other plans of how they might be rescued we have this visual guide.
Updated
