two teenagers were successfully evacuated from the cave

Hope is reborn in Thailand for the families of the twelve teenagers and their football coach stuck for two weeks in the flooded cave of Tham Luang in the north of the country. Two boys were successfully extracted on Sunday, July 8, from the network of cavities of which they were prisoners, announced the authorities. "They are currently in the field hospital near the cave" a relief officer said.

The hope had subsided after days of postponement of the evacuation operation because of too much risk. Finally, it started in the morning. "Today is the big day … The boys are ready to face any challenge" Narongsak Osottanakorn, head of the Crisis Staff, at a remote press conference

According to the governor of Chiang Rai Province, "thirteen world-clbad specialists from countries with expertise" in speleology participate in the mission. "They will go out one by one, it will take two to three days" said Chalongchai Chaiyakorn, one of the leaders of the crisis cell. At present, the conditions for an evacuation are judged "perfect" by the Crisis Staff, particularly with regard to the level of water in the cave.

Up to now, it took eleven hours to a seasoned diver to make the round trip: six hours to go, five hours back thanks to the current. Several kilometers in rough casings, the route out of the cave includes difficult underwater pbadages. A perilous venture: A former Thai Navy diver died Friday during a refueling operation. However, a good number of children, aged 11 to 16 years, can not swim, and none has done diving.

The monsoon recalled the urgency

Sign that the operation was not going any more delay, the rescuers evacuated Sunday morning the site for "help the victims" . "All those who are not involved in the operation must leave the area immediately" Police announced loudspeaker on the site, where are hundreds of journalists. The head of the Crisis Staff warned on Friday night that the media influx in this mountainous tropical forest area was a problem, especially for medical teams.

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Rescuers have been wondering for days about whether to trigger a perilous evacuation, monsoon rains expected soon that could ruin efforts continued for several days to drain the water of the cave.

Rescue had managed to insert a pipe of several kilometers to carry oxygen in the pocket where the group took refuge, and the oxygen level stabilized in the cave. But rains expected soon could reduce much of the muddy rim on which the group took refuge.

Saturday night, a big monsoon shower fell for half an hour, reminding the urgency to evacuate the children. It is already because of the monsoon rains that they found themselves trapped on June 23, after having decided, for a still unclear reason, to go to the cave after their football training, with their young coach of 25 years.