Thailand: A rescuer dies while participating in the rescue of boys in the cave

MAE SAI, Thailand.- A rescuer, former member of the Thai Navy, died during
mega-operational


rescue
boys
trapped in a cave for not having enough oxygen.

Samam Gunan, a member of the 37-year-old elite unit, placed oxygen tanks in the cave as part of the preparations for the rescue, but lost consciousness When he was trying to come back, Commander Arpakorn Yookongkaew explained at a press conference: "After delivering an oxygen reserve, on his return he did not have enough oxygen" said Vice President Chiang Rai Pbadakorn Boonyaluck.

"We are trained to accept that there can be risks at any time," said the commander. "It's part of the job," he added.

This ex-member of the Thai Navy's commandos "lost consciousness on return, his diving partner tried to help him and take him," said the commander of the commandos. . "Even though we have lost a man, we still have faith in our mission," he says in a trembling voice this morning.

Sign of a complex rescue

Death of lifeguards
the difficulty of evacuating without endangering the lives of the children and their football coach, trapped for thirteen days in Thuam Lang cave.

The Thai Navy hinted that rescuers would probably have no choice but to try a complex and dangerous rescue. The time to get them out of the cave is "limited," acknowledged the Thai authorities. However, they have not said they will try to save them today, when the monsoon rains fall in this mountainous region of Thailand.

Rescuers hope that with the help of bombs, they can get enough water for children can get out without having to dive or do it in a few moments.

For now, an experienced diver needs eleven hours to make a round trip to where the boys are: six ida and five back thanks to the current. The road is several kilometers long and includes narrow pbadages and expanses under the water.

British divers on Monday located 12 boys between the ages of 11 and 16 and their 25-year-old coach who had been missing since Saturday, June 23 at Tham Laung-Khun Nam Nang No Cave in Chiang Rai Province.

The group went after a football training in the cave, the fourth largest in the country with more than 10 kilometers, located 1000 kilometers north of Bangkok, near the border with Myanmar.

The authorities believe that they were surprised by a flood in the cave, and that they had to penetrate deeply to save themselves.

Finally, they were found more than three kilometers from the entrance to the cave, but when will they go? They receive diving lessons, as a possibility is that they are guided out of the cave by expert divers.

The Second Rescue Option Considered is to tunnel out of the cave and take them out that way. Meanwhile, the authorities are trying to pump the flooded cave water.

DPA Agencies, AFP and AP