Divers seek out lost teenagers in a flooded cave in Thailand | World

The place in Chiang Rai Province is the fourth longest cave in Thailand and very popular with tourists and with those who live there for its impressive limestone rock formations. First, they open and form a large, high ceiling similar to that of a large amphitheater, and then cross narrow pbadages leading to a network of smaller caves where locals say that they are the only ones in the area. it is not safe to venture. especially during the rainy season, which usually starts in July.

A few hours after the entrance of the group, a guard noticed that the bicycles were still there, even after the closing time of the park where Tham Luan Nang is located.

Then began a scary search for the boys, who are between 11 and 16 years old, and their coach. The great mobilization of efforts moves the world around a chain of support and hopes that the group will be found.

The cave experts told the BBC that as long as they are in a place above the level of water that flooded the cave, there is a chance of survival. It all depends on whether the group has found a place with drinking water.

They could survive eight days without food, said the director of the Department of Medical Services, Somsak Akkasilp. But they run the risk of getting an infection because of dirty water or contact with an animal inside the cave, he added.

The main risks are hypothermia and lack of oxygen. It is believed that the temperature inside the cave is 20 ° C to 25 ° C, which is relatively warm. This should not be a problem if your clothes are not wet.

The porous nature of the limestone also promotes the existence of a sufficient amount of oxygen inside, but it is known that the caves in the area may contain pockets of water. Poor air with a high rate of carbon dioxide.

"What flooded was a narrow pbadage of about 2 km that leads to the cave.If the boys are on the other side, they can be in a superior room that can be still dry" said Joshua Morris, who organizes tours of mountains and caves in Thailand and puts two of his teams to help with the rescue.

There is always a need to control fear and the psychological side. "Being trapped in a cave like this is probably one of the most terrifying things that a person can go through," Morris said.

Interior of flooded cave

Large levels of rainfall can make the interior of the cave floodable up to five meters, so it is recommended to explore only between November and April , as indicated by a local guide of the BBC.

It started raining shortly after the team and its coach came in, and this has been one of the main hurdles up until now.

Soon, rain makes it impossible to pbad through the main entrance of the cave – it is thought that this prevented the group from returning.

Rescuers attempt to use industrial pumps to drain water, but the level rises faster than the volume that can be removed.

Intense rain makes rescue difficult

Faced with this problem, it was necessary to look for another way to enter. Experts believe that the network of caves has other pbadages in its interior, but finding them in the middle of the forest is quite difficult.

Heavy rains also hinder aerial work by helicopter to find new entrances. This also limits the range of UAVs used to detect heat signals inside the rock that could indicate where missing objects are located.

An underwater robot was also used to send information about the water level inside the cave and the local conditions.

Meanwhile, the Thai Navy divers were fired to search for the group in the flooded cave system. Four British divers and the US Army also help.

But divers have to cross very narrow places and can not go very far because they can run out of air. The almost complete darkness inside the network of caves and the accumulation of debris and mud also adversely affect its visibility, which is only a few inches ahead.

The sensation of navigating the flooded pbadages was described by them as "swimming in a hot coffee".

On Tuesday, recent footprints were seen inside the cave complex, giving hope that the missing would be safe.

The messages sent by the boys before the start of the exploration indicated that they had brought flashlights and food, but that it was unlikely that they would be ready to spend more than a few hours there.

Support to social networks

The case mobilized the country. Thais have formed a chain of hope through social networks. A hashtag that can be translated as "the strangers we want to know more" is used to convey concerns to the group.

Other hashtags that translate into phrases such as "13 lives must survive" and "bring home Moo Pa players" are also used.

At the rescue site, after the first days, volunteers and teams had not yet found another entrance to the cave, the authorities drew up a plan: drill the stone to create a pbadage alternative in the mountains.

But the difficulty of finding a suitable place to place heavy machinery in the middle of the woods on the muddy slope of the mountain, and at the same time ensure that the surrounding rocks would not collapse made this impractical idea.

On Friday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o visited the rescue base in the parking lot at the entrance of the cave, where 840 soldiers, 90 members of the special forces, four helicopters, excavators and the # Equipment for disaster situations. Relatives of the missing also camp outside the cave.

The same day, a small opening was identified in the mountains above the cave. British experts came in and managed to reach a depth of 20 meters. The officers also used it to reach a large room that is still dry and should lead to other parts of the cave complex.

& # 39; Survival Boxes & # 39;

This is a more promising solution as long as the rain does not stop. The excessive rains even stopped pumping water on Thursday. Divers have interrupted their efforts several times for the same reason.

The amount of rain falling at this time is "unusual" even for this time of year, said Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn at CNN. "Our teams inside had to withdraw to the entrance of the cave, we can not fight the water," he said.

Dozens of "survival boxes" containing food, cards, mobile phones were sent to the cave, police said.

The plan is for them to be sent to their interior by pbadages that are in the rocks and, if they do not directly reach the boys and their technician, to float by the rivers formed there and reach the place where they are.

They always carry a message: "If it is received, send an answer and show it on the map where it is located."

It is also planned to send cameras in the deep areas of the cave and, thus, to prepare the next steps or even to make contact with the missing.