The American rescuer details Cave's mission to save the Thai football team



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(MAE SAI) – Thai boys rescued from a flooded cave undergo zero visibility dives for half an hour. In places, they were placed in harnesses and lined with high rocky caves, said a US contingent leader involved in the operation, calling him "a rescue in a lifetime".

Derek Anderson, a 32-year-old man … A former US Air Force rescue specialist based in Okinawa, Japan said that a dozen boys, aged 11 to 16, and their trainer , trapped for more than two weeks before being rescued this week, were "incredibly resistant."

"What was really important was that the coach and the boys get together and are arguing to stay strong, have the will to live, have the will to survive, "Anderson told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday

. The magnitude of the challenge facing rescuers from Thailand, Britain, Australia and other countries has really only begun to manifest itself after the first day of life. arrival of the storm in the cave north of Thailand. The Thai government had asked for help from the United States.

"The cave was dry when we arrived, and in an hour and a half it was already filled with 2 to 3 feet and we were expelled," said Anderson, son of missionaries, born in Syracuse, New York, and grew up in Ecuador

"It was just at the very beginning of the cave and by that time we realized that this problem was going to be much more complex than we thought, He said:

Thailand's decision to dive boys despite their poor condition and lack of diving experience was made when a window of opportunity was provided by a relatively mild weather A massive operation to pump water also meant that air pockets were created at the crucial points of the cavern, making rescue possible.

Falling oxygen levels, the risk of illness and the impending prospect of flooding Long term boys in the cave became an option less and less achievable, "says Anderson.

Divers used their rescue techniques in a pool with local children of about the same size and weight. The Wild Boars football team is trapped in the cave.

The goal, according to Anderson, was to make each boy "packed tightly" so that divers could keep control over them and adjust their air supply if necessary. The process lasted hours for each boy and had them cross long passages barely larger than an adult body.

Buoyancy compensators that establish neutral buoyancy under water, hooded suits, bungees and special masks were worn by divers. of high and dry ground where the boys were huddled.

Positive pressure masks were "really crucial," Anderson said. Their use meant that even if a boy panicked – perhaps because of a snag in a narrow passageway – and was getting water inside his mask, the pressure l? would expel

. when four were extracted. Four more were announced Monday, and the operation ended Tuesday with the rescue of the last four boys and their 25-year-old coach.

The 18-day ordeal has blocked much of the world – from the terrible news 13 have been missing to the first flickering video of the group of worried but smiling boys when they were found by a pair of divers British nearly 10 days later.

The group entered the sprawling cave of Tham Luang On June 23, monsoon rains filled the narrow passages, blocking their escape and pushing them deeper in search of a safe haven.

Initial attempts to locate the boys failed twice because the floodwaters caused cold hypothermia. the narrow passages made them impassable. Even if conditions improved and divers began to lay lifelines through the cave, it was dangerous.

"In this type of cave diving, you have to put a rope, that is your life line. You have to make sure that when you come in, you have a way out, "Anderson said." They were progressing, but that was very little progress and they were exhausted to spend five or six hours and cover 40 or 50 meters. "

Each rescue operation had a hundred people inside the cave., Anderson said, and each boy was handled by dozens of people while their perilous move to Throughout a total of nine chambers was carried out.

In some phases, they were guided by two divers, in some narrow passages they were connected to a single diver.In the caverns with pockets of water. air, they were "floated" with the support of four rescuers Some sections were completely dry but treacherously rocky or deep

"We had to set up rope systems and high lines to be able to place them securely in a harness and bring them across large open areas so that they do not have to "

Bottles placed at different locations of the cave to replenish the food In the air the boys were "stuck" with 80% oxygen instead of normal air because "that would increase their level of oxygen saturation and" The world just needs to know that what has been accomplished was a unique rescue that, I think, has never been done before, "he said. "We were extremely lucky that the result was what it was, it is important to understand how complex this puzzle is and how many pieces have to be assembled."

"If you lose your temper in an environment like this, there are many bad repercussions, "he said. [ad_2]
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