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There was no contact with the boys, aged 11 to 16, and their coach since they entered Tham Luang cave last weekend and were stranded by heavy rains that blocked the entrance.
The team's desperate, 24-hour search was beset by torrential downpours that submerged the tunnels near the entrance, preventing divers from continuing.
But SEAL divers in the navy almost reached a T-junction in the depths of the cave just two or three kilometers from where the boys would be, said Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osottanakorn.
The divers reached the same place at the beginning of the week but were repelled by the flood waters.
The water levels inside the intricate tunnel labyrinth finally dropped thanks to dozens of pumps set up to drain the basins even as heavy rains continued to hit the area near the borders of Myanmar and Laos.
"The situation is better today than yesterday and the day before, the water has gone back a lot and we are pumping water in all the rooms (near the entrance ), "Narongsak told reporters.
As the search for boys hit its seventh day, attention turned to their chances of surviving inside a cave with little or no food and light.
The group probably has access to fresh water – either dripping in the rocks or rushing through the entrance – but experts have warned that runoff from nearby farms could carry products dangerous chemicals or bacteria.
"If they drink water in the caves and it makes them sick, it could speed up the problem, but if they do not drink it, they also have problems," Anmar Mirza, coordinator of the United States. National Cave Rescue Commission, told AFP.
But even without food, he said that young athletic boys could "live easily for a month or a month and a half," but the main challenge today would be mental determination.
"The biggest problem they are facing right now, if they are alive, is psychological because they do not know when they could be saved," Mirza said in a phone interview of the # 39, US state of Indiana.
The drama rescue of a week galvanized the nation and provoked emotional outbursts online from supporters who were praying for their safe return.
Cartoon images of smiling boys found by divers were broadcast, as well as messages for the team, such as "Stay strong, we're coming".
Teams of foreign experts, including more than 30 US troops, descended on the remote mountain site to reach approximately 1,000 Thai rescuers.
Australian, Chinese and Japanese experts also joined forces.
Several teams ventured into the thick jungle above the cave, desperately seeking new openings that could lead to the trapped boys.
A team was drilling into a 40-meter (130-foot) chimney that led to a muddy room, which the governor described as a "promising" mine.
But there was still no indication related to the main cave complex.
"We are turning our staff in the fireplace since Friday, they are inside … always looking and we are waiting for their conclusions," AFP told Surachai Thathes, chief of the party. relief team from the Ministry of Parks of Northern Thailand.
But the main priority was to try to reach the boys through the main entrance, Governor Narongsak said.
Earlier in the day, doctors and police conducted hands-on exercises to prepare for the quick and complex evacuations that will be needed if and when the boys are found.
The stone-faced parents watched in a makeshift tent near the shrines where the monks lead the prayers.
Stretching for 10 kilometers (6 miles) and with its winding paths and narrow lanes, Tham Luang is one of Thailand's longest and most challenging caves to navigate.
Officials said the boys knew the site well and have already visited it several times, harboring the hope that they could have gone to a large, airy room called Pattaya Beach Center. .
Rescuers found footprints and handprints in a room near this location earlier in the week, further from where they found the football boots, backpacks and backpacks. children's bicycles.
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