Thai cave boys relive the ordeal at the first press conference after the rescue

For his first public appearance after being rescued by divers, the Wild Boars team on Wednesday described how they survived "

During the press conference, the boys gave up, smiled and even offered Thai traditional" wai "greetings on national television.

One of the boys, 14 years old … The old Adul Sam-on recalled the moment when two British divers found the group trapped on July 2, squatting in a flooded room several kilometers from the cave complex. "It was magic," he said. "I had to think a lot before I could answer their questions," adds Adul

"Everyone was happy, it was the most promising moment in 10 days."

Spectators were placed behind barricades when the boys arrived in the vans of the hospital where they had been staying since they left the complex in Chiang Rai Province, northern Thailand

. days, organized by Thai Navy SEALs and a worldwide team of experts in scuba diving.

] The order in which the boys finally left the cave did not depend on the state of their health, said their coach Ekkapol Chantawong, whose efforts were credited by some parents to keep the boys alive "Those whose homes are the farthest went first, to be able to tell everyone that the boys were fine," he adds

The group had planned to explore the Tham Luang caves about an hour after playing football on June 23. But a The heavy rains of the rainy season flooded the tunnels, trapping them.

"We dug the walls of the cave in turn," said Ekkapol. "We did not want to wait for the authorities to find us." One of the boys added: "We used stones to dig in the cave, we dug 3 to 4 meters." This represents a depth of 10-13 feet. Their efforts were useless, said Ekkapol, adding, "Almost everyone can swim, but some are not good swimmers."

The group, who had eaten before entering the caves, did not take any food. was supposed to last only an hour, and had to subsist on the water dripping stalactites, he said. "We only drank water," said one of the boys, dubbed Tee. "The first day we were fine, but after two days we started to feel tired."

The boys, who returned home Wednesday night, all apologized for being mean, admitting to having told their parents that they were going The boys, who sported crunchy haircuts, had gained 3 kg (6.6 lbs) each on average since the rescue, and participated in confidence building exercises before Wednesday's event. , said hospital director Chaiwetch Thanapaisal

Samar Kunan, 38, a former Thai Navy diver who died while he was working under the l. water, poses oxygen tanks along a potential exit route. "Everyone was very sad," said Ekkapol, adding that the boys would spend time as novice Buddhist monks to honor the diver's memory.