Children stuck in cave are healthy, new video says

The 12 children and their football coach miraculously found after nine days in a cave in Thailand are "in good health", according to the Thai Navy, which released Wednesday a second video of them, hoping for a quick evacuation. "After eating, they were all examined by a military doctor," says the navy, without pronouncing for the moment on the day of their evacuation, complicated, with long pbadages of diving.

In this recorded video Tuesday, we see eleven children say hello, their name, then "I'm in good health". The Navy did not explain at first why the 12th child did not record a message, as well as the young coach of 25 years. Their diving training began and this first confirmation of their good state of health gave hope of a quick evacuation.

"He is thin"

"I am so happy", reacted, in tears, the mother of one of the boys, Bew, watching the video, projected by the rescuers on a screen in a tent, not far from the entrance of the cave where families are waiting for the evacuation of their children. "He is skinny," she noted, after viewing her son's message, the telephone line system installed in the gallery, which was supposed to allow children to be in direct contact with their parents.

On Wednesday, the governor of Chiang Rai Province, Narongsak Osottanakorn, who heads the relief cell, warned that the evacuation may not occur Wednesday, the water level still high, despite the important pumping system. "It will be difficult to evacuate them today," he said, refusing any speculation as to the date of evacuation.

Trapped by the waters

"We must be sure of ourselves at 100% "when deciding on evacuation, which could be done in several groups of children," he added. The return course is indeed several kilometers long in rough hulls, with difficult underwater pbadages.

Children, aged 11 to 16, were discovered late Monday with their trainer by British divers participating in this great international operation, emaciated but "safe and sound", more than four kilometers inside the gallery. The group was perched on a ledge located deep in the meanders of this cave, located on the border with Burma and Laos, where they were trapped last Saturday by the rising waters. They might have decided to go explore the cave they know well – or have wanted to protect themselves from the rain in this monsoon season.