Thailand: how they survived and how they can save missing teenagers now for 9 days in a cave

First the good news: 12 Thai teens and their trainer, missing for nine days in a flooded cave in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand, were found alive.

Now the bad: the nightmare is not over. The rains are expected in the next three days, the difficulties for rescue tasks are enormous and it is thought that the miners could continue there weeks or months, depending on the relief [19659002] The odyssey began on June 23, when the group of teenagers and their trainer entered the labyrinth of Tham Luang Nang caves No, the fourth largest cave in the country, and that they could not leave.

An employee of the national park was the first to warn of his disappearance, after finding the bicycles in which they arrived in an area where tourists are advised not to approach because of their danger during the rainy months, as in this time of the year.

A group of more than 1,000 military personnel, sailors, local workers, volunteers and specialized teams from several countries have moved to the region to support search and rescue efforts

But the efforts lasted more than one year. week, given the high level of waters inside the cave.

Finally, on the night of this Monday and after nine days of darkness, two divers The British found the 13 alive in a small space that was above the water level after the flood, more than 2 kilometers from the entrance and at a depth of between 800 meters and 1 kilometer.

But the question many are asking is how can they survive under these conditions for nine days ?

Survival

In an interview with the BBC's Newsnight ] program, Ben Reymenants, a Dutch rescuer who is part of the international team, reiterated that the miners found and their living coach escapes the ordinary.

"Obviously, they are very weak, but they are all alive and have been sitting on a piece of rock in a small space for about ten days, so it's a miracle "he said.

Children and adolescents of the club had the habit of making trips to the team. / BBC

As explained, the place where they stood at a relatively hot temperature of about 26 ° C which prevented possible hyperthermia or hypothermia.

Similarly, although the water of the flood that surrounds them is not drinkable, it is the one that falls in throws through the walls of the cave, which was fundamental to prevent them from becoming dehydrated.

According to Reymenants, another factor that has helped their survival is that children, because of their anatomical composition, can survive longer without food.

Inside the cave, the temperature is 26ºC. / Getty Images

Nevertheless, Ricky Greenwald, founder and director of the Institute of Child Trauma in Mbadachusets, USA. he explained to the BBC News that survival does not prevent the trauma suffered by these miners from being similar to that of people who return from a "war experience" and who need psychological help for their recovery. 19659002] But now that they have been found, another of the big questions is how can save them if all around them is flooded, no children know how to swim or dive and, according to the rescuers Waiting for the waters to go down or to teach them to dive could be a task for several weeks.

Here are some possibilities for future rescue:

1. Diving

"The option of diving them is the fastest, but also the most dangerous," says BBC Anmar Mirza, national coordinator of the Caves Rescue Commission of the United States. 19659002] Edd Sorenson, Florida's regional coordinator for the International Underwater Caves Recovery Organization, acknowledges in an interview with the BBC that the option to dive is "extremely dangerous" and that it's "dangerous." he would consider it a "last resort". ] 102305132047880484-9f52ec7a5ee695f0f1bc6e70602d1bf1.jpg ” clbad=”img img-responsive image-large”/> Diving equipment from several countries is working in rescue operations. / AFP / ROYAL THAI NAVY