The first two Thai schoolchildren saved from the flooded cave :: Kenya

The first two schoolchildren emerged from a flooded Thai cave after divers launched a bold and dangerous mission to rescue the children and their soccer coach, who were trapped underground for over two weeks, said a Thai official. ALSO READ:

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"Two children are out.They are currently in the field hospital near the cave, "Tossathep Boonthong, head of the health department in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, told Reuters. "We give them a physical exam."

Thirteen foreign divers and five members of the SEAL elite unit of the Thai Navy attempt to bring other boys – some 11-year-olds and low swimmers – into narrow, submerged pbadageways which cost the life of a former diver of the Thai Navy. Friday.

Their ordeal drew media attention in Thailand and abroad, and getting boys out safely could be a boost for the ruling junta in Thailand before the general election of next year.

"Today is the day," Narongsak Osottanakorn, chief of the rescue mission, told reporters.

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Gusts of heavy monsoon rains flooded the Tham Luang area in Chiang Rai province on Sunday and storms were expected in the coming weeks, increasing the risks in what was called a "war" with water and time ". .

The boys, aged between 11 and 16, disappeared with their 25-year-old coach after playing football on June 23, going on an adventure to explore the cave complex near the border with Myanmar .

Saving them all could take three to four days and depends on the weather, said an army commander involved in the mission.

The rescue teams had repeated the plan for several days, Narongsak said, and had managed to drain the water level in the cave considerably, but needed to move quickly.

A diver dies in a rescue attempt in a cave

"If we wait and the rain arrives in the next days, we will be tired again by the pumping and our availability will diminish. the case, we have to rebadess the situation, "he said.

An Australian doctor who is part of the rescue mission checked the boys' health on Saturday night and gave the green light for the operation to continue.

The boys were discovered by British divers Richard Stanton and John Volanthen on Monday.

Among the 13 members of the foreign diving team – mainly from Europe – three escorted children, while the others were positioned along the dangerous first kilometer, where boys will have to cross submerged pbadages in some places. two feet (0.6 meters) wide.

Anxious Medical Teams

Thirteen medical teams were stationed outside the cave – each with its own helicopter and ambulance – one for each of the 12 boys and their trainer.

After an initial badessment on the site, the boys will be transported by helicopter on a makeshift helisurface near the Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital, some 70 km away.

A family at the hospital said five emergency doctors were waiting for the party and another 30 doctors were on standby, adding that everyone felt tense.

"The teams here are happy that the boys are saved, but also worried about the severity of the boys' conditions, we are under a lot of pressure," she said, refusing to be named because she was not sure. she was not allowed to speak to the media.

The area outside the hospital was cordoned off with police patrolling the area, said a Reuters reporter at the scene. At the end of the street, a loudspeaker told the vendors to "stay off the road" and "do not interfere with the transfer mission".

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, head of the military junta that took power in 2014, planned to visit the cave site on Monday, a government spokesman said.

His visit to relatives and relief officials last week was criticized by some Thais as opportunistic as his government faced pro-democracy demonstrations in the capital Bangkok in recent months.

A team owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who had expertise in drilling and exploration, was scheduled to arrive Sunday at the cave site, announced the Thai Ministry of Defense.

Musk said on Twitter that a team from his SpaceX space rocket company in Los Angeles was building a "small child-sized submarine" to badist in the rescue, but gave a schedule that suggested that he was not doing anything. he would not arrive in Thailand before Monday at the earliest.