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The 12 boys whose cave rescue in northern Thailand this week captivated the world, had a tearful reunion with their parents while it was revealed just how missionary is arrived at disaster. On Wednesday night, the 12 children and Ekkapol Chantawong, the 25-year-old football coach trapped with them, were trapped in hospital beds wearing surgical masks, clasping their palms in gratitude to the camera [19659002]. from behind a window, waving and wiping tears of joy and relief.
The meetings, lived remotely or through the glbad because the boys must be cleared of potential infections, were broadcast as part of a national television press conference on the rescue of members of the football club Wild Boars.
Authorities gave more details on the 17-day operation to release the boys from Tham Luang cave in the Doi Nang mountain range No, fram When the boys' motorcycles were discovered in Outside the cave, rescuers first thought that the mission of finding the children would be simple. They learned otherwise a few days after the search when heavy rain filled the cave faster than expected, forcing even navy personnel to retreat.
"We fought and were defeated, losing space to the water," said Narongsak Osatanakorn, chief of the Joint Command Center coordinating the operation
Navy Seals began deep incursions into the cave. narrow paths and high levels of water. "The cave looked nothing like what we had known, it was so dark," said Apakorn Youkongkaew, a rear admiral in the Thai Navy.
The conditions were so difficult that, for 23 hours, the Seals lost contact with two teams that they had sent into the cavern,
A week after the search, their efforts to pump the air were over. rainwater from the cave proved unsuccessful. They called for heavier equipment and a contingent of expert speleologist divers from the United Kingdom, Australia, China, the United States, and Europe.
First images of Thais saved at the hospital – video
John Volanthen, a Briton, found the boys on July 2nd. They were huddled on a muddy slope about three kilometers inside the cave.
Youkongkaew paid tribute to the bravery and resilience of the children, who endured 10 days of starvation in the near total darkness, never knowing if help was coming. "Were our children not incredible?" He said.
The next challenge was to take the group out. While authorities began pumping cave water to industrial levels – they could eventually eliminate about 10 billion cubic meters – a second hurdle has emerged. The oxygen levels in the cave were falling to toxic levels, limiting the time available to free the group for less than a month, said Youkongkaew
Fear of boys falling into the coma of oxygen deprivation forced authorities to go ahead. evacuation. "Another factor was that water was coming in," Osatanakorn said. "The rain in the north is mbadive, unlike in other areas.The children would have no place to stay.They only had the space of five meters on five meters, it would be progressively reduced. "
The 12 boys wore diving masks and were tied to divers who were going through the underwater parts of the trip. They were transferred to stretchers and wrapped in blankets each time they arrived at dry land stains. Their vital signs were monitored several times throughout the trip
. The chief of the navy confirmed that he had reported that the boys had been asleep during the trip, saying at the press briefing: "On the way, some may have slept.
Wang Yingjie, head of the Chinese contingent of the relief team, said on Wednesday that it was not sure, early in the rescue, that their efforts are successful. "But we had no choice," he said at a festive lunch at Mae Sai. "When I saw the first child [emerge] I felt that we had managed a step." We were happy.Then, when I saw the second child, I thought about it. that our plan was working. "
He said that foreign divers had cooperated transparently. "The tongue was not a barrier and we found that the language used in technical terms, like diving and the rope system, was universal," he said. July on the left, Narongsak Osatanakorn "src =" https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/701a3795d767d7ec6297b8bcc11bb5a50ddd53e7/0_125_1976_1186/master/1976.jpg?w=300&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=aa1b46caac93777a47f5dd2fe4e8b84e " />
Thai Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, seated right, at a meeting on July 9 with, on the left, Narongsak Osatanakorn, head of the joint command center coordinating the rescue. Photo: Reuters
Yingjie and his team apologized for wearing slippers for the official event. he said that their feet had been macerated by the dozens of hours that they had been diving in muddy water in recent days.
Australian divers involved in the rescue told the Guardian on Wednesday that they were steps away from the disaster. A few hours after the last boar was released, the cave's main pump failed, and water levels began to increase slightly, said the divers.
One of them said that he had heard screams from deeper into the cave. "All these lighthouses are starting to arrive on the hill and water is coming in," he said. "He was getting up noticeably."
The other 100 workers inside the cave rushed frantically toward the exit and were safe less than an hour later.
Osatanakorn, who became a national hero after the successful rescue, called the boys "a symbol of unity among humanity". He added: "Everyone was working together, regardless of race and religion, because the goal was to save the youth football team and bring them home safely."
He said that children should not be trapped. appear before the media once their health has improved, if doctors and parents give the go-ahead.
The severe behavior of the chief of rescuers of the last weeks was dissolved Wednesday night. At the points during the briefing, he laughs and shakes. He told the Guardian that he wanted to act as himself in a rescue film. Outside, he was harbaded by volunteers. When asked for a selfie photo, he replied, "Why not? The boys are out."
Additional report by Jacob Goldberg
