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Twelve boys from a football team and their 25-year-old coach arrived early in the afternoon at the entrance to Tham Luan Nang Cave in Thailand. They tied their bikes to the railing, took their backpacks and went into the place to apparently explore the depths of a mountain in the north of the country – and have not been seen since.
The place in Chiang Rai Province is the fourth longest in Thailand and very popular with tourists and those who live there for its impressive rock formations of limestone.
First, they open and form a large, high ceiling, similar to that of a large amphitheater, and later they give in narrow pbadages that lead to a network of caves Smaller ones in which locals say that 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 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 were 11 to 16 years old and his coach. The great mobilization of efforts moves the world around a chain of support and hopes that the group will be found.
Interior of the flooded cave
Large levels of precipitation can make the interior of the cave It is recommended to explore it only between November and April , as indicated by a local guide of the BBC.
It started to rain soon after the entrance of the team and its technician.
The rain made it impossible to pbad the main entrance to the cave – it is thought that this prevented the group from coming back.
Intense rain makes rescue difficult
Faced with this problem, it was necessary to find another way to enter. Experts believe that the network of caves has other pbadages inland, but it is very difficult to find them in the middle of the forest.
Heavy rains also damage aerial work, by helicopter, to find new entrances. It also limits the range of drones used to detect signs of heat in the rock that could indicate where the missing ones are.
An underwater robot was also used to send information about the water level in the cave and the conditions of the site.
Meanwhile, divers from the Thai Navy were fired to search for the group in the flooded cave system. Four British divers and US military are also present.
But divers have to cross very narrow places and can not go very far because they can run out of air. The almost total darkness in the network of caves and the accumulation of debris and mud also alter their visibility, which is only a few centimeters in front of them.
The sensation of navigating the flooded pbadages was described by them as:
Footprints of Hope
On Tuesday, recent footprints were seen at the 39th. interior of the cave complex, which gave hope that the missing would be safe.
Messages sent by The boys, before starting the exploration, reported that they had brought flashlights and food, but that they were reluctant to spend more than few hours
The cave experts told the BBC that above the level of water that flooded the cave, there is a chance of survival.
The biggest 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 presence of oxygen in the interior, but it is known that the caves in the area may contain pockets of poor air,
"What was flooding was a narrow pbadage of about 2 kilometers that leads into the cave.If the boys are on the other side of it, they may be in a higher room that may still be drought, "said Joshua Morris, who runs mountain and cave tours in Thailand and put two of his teams to help save.
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 cross," said Morris
Supporting 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 the concern to the group.
Other hashtags that translate into phrases like "13 lives must survive" and "bring players home". Moo Pa "are also used
On the rescue site, after the first few days, volunteers and teams have not yet found any other entrance to the cave, the authorities have developed a plan: Drill the stone to create a pbadageway But the difficulty of finding a suitable place to position heavy machinery in the middle of the woods on the slope filled with mountain mud, and at the same time ensure that the surrounding rocks do not get stuck. would not collapse became
Friday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o visited the rescue base in the parking lot at the entrance to the cave, where are 840 soldiers, 90 members of special services, four helicopters The relatives of the missing also camp outside the cave.
The same day, a small opening was identified in the mountains above the cave. n entered 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. while the rain does not give a truce. The excessive rains even stopped pumping water on Thursday.
The amount of rain falling at that time is "unusual" even for this time of year, said Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn at CNN. "There are dozens of" survival boxes "containing food, cards, and cell phones that were sent to the cave, according to the report.
The plan is for them to be sent to them inside 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 to reach the place where they are.] They also carry a message: "If it is received, please send an answer and show it on the map where it is."
It is also planned to send cameras in the deep areas of the cave and, therefore, even making contact with the missing.
At a press conference on Saturday, Narongsak Osotthanakorn said that the country had lessons to be learned from this type of & dquo; # 39; operation, until here unheard. Meanwhile, the teams were preparing the removal of persons on stretchers to be ready if the group was found
BBC News – All rights reserved – Reproduction prohibited without the written permission of the BBC
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