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On June 23, 12 boys went to explore Thailand's Chiang Rai province with their football coach – and ended up trapped in a cave under a mountain.
What happened over the next two weeks seized the world. It's a remarkable story of friendship, human endurance – and the length that some people will go to save the child of someone else.
Here is the story of the Wild Boars.
The birthday party that went wrong
began with a birthday.
On Saturday, June 23, Peerapat "Night" Sompiangjai turned 17 – a milestone for most young people around the world.
His family had prepared a yellow birthday cake SpongeBob SquarePants and several colorful gifts at home in a rural village in Mae Sai District.
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But the night did not rush That day. He was with his friends, the other members of the local youth football team, the Wild Boars, and their assistant, Ekkapol "Ake" Chantawong.
When their football training ended, they ran through the rice fields on their bicycles. in the wooded hills that have recently been covered in the rain.
Their destination: Tham Luang Cave, a favorite spot for boys, who enjoyed exploring the nooks and crannies of the Mae Sai mountain range.
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Facebook / Kanthawong Nopparat
A photo that boys posted on Facebook shortly before it was over. they do not enter the cave
Once at the mouth of Tham Luang, they hid their bikes and bags near the entrance to the cave.
The team and their young coach were ready to celebrate Night's birthday. They often ventured deep into Tham Luang, sometimes up to 8 km away, for initiation rites where they wrote the names of the new team members on a cave wall.
In the heart, they climbed into the cavern with their torches. They did not need much else – after all, they did not plan to be there until one o'clock.
They would not go out until two weeks later.
Back at Night, his family began to worry.
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Tham Luang, the fourth largest 10-kilometer snake under the cloud-covered mountain range that separates Thailand and Myanmar. Named after a mountain in the shape of a woman lying down, her full name is Tham Luang Khun Nam Khun Nang Nam Nam – "the big cave and water source of a sleeping lady on a mountain that is the birthplace of a river ". Rich in folklore, it's a popular destination for day-trippers – and adventurous kids.
She has her dangers – people have gone to Tham Luang before. And once the monsoon season begins in July, the cave goes from harmless to extremely dangerous.
The cave can rise up to 5m during the rainy season, and should only be entered between November and April.
The water moves, it's muddy and there's almost no visibility, "said local guide Joshua Morris at the BBC.
And once the cave flooded – it's risky even for experienced divers.
Almost everyone in Mae Sai knows it. So when the wild boar parents began to worry about their missing boys, they headed straight for the cave. Some of the boys had texted earlier to say that they were heading towards Tham Luang.
They found the bikes, the bags and some football boots on the outside. They triggered the alarm
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At the bottom of the cave, wild boars found themselves in trouble. It had been raining for a few days, and all the water that fell on the mountain had to go somewhere.
Somewhere was the cave system of Tham Luang, which was filling up quickly.
A first story of the boys suggests that they were caught off guard by a flash flood. They needed to go out, but had no choice but to sink even deeper into the cave.
Wild boars were finally stranded on a small rock platform about 4 km from the entrance to the cave. Beach that was now flooded
- Who are the Thai boys who were trapped in a cave?
Frustrated by a ruthless mountain and surrounded by darkness, the boys and the coach lost all sense of time. The fear, perhaps even the terror, would have probably infiltrated.
But they were only determined to survive. The group used stones to dig 5m deeper into the shelf, to create a cave where they could hug and stay warm.
Coach Ake, a former monk, taught boys' meditation techniques – to help them stay calm.
But an extraordinary set of circumstances also worked in their favor.
They apparently had no food – but they did have a supply of drinking water in the area. the form of moisture dripping walls of the cave.
It was dark, but they had their torches. There was also enough air for a while – because the porous limestone and cracks in the rocks meant that the air could pass.
They had the right conditions to survive – at least for a little while. And more importantly, the Wild Boars have come into play.
The most difficult is to hope for a rescue
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Outside the cave, a full rescue operation was taking place quickly
Authorities used the Thai elite, national police and other rescue teams.
Early investigations found footprints in one of the cave chambers – but no other sign that the boys were still alive.
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Wild boars were somewhere the crooked depths of Tham Luang – but where exactly? And more importantly – how could rescuers reach them?
Exploring the cave was a challenge – most Navy divers had a little underwater diving experience. And the weather was ruthless – heavy rains meant that the water level was still rising, flooding the rooms and cutting off the rescuers from the parts of the cave.
Engineers desperately tried to pump water from the cave.
In the beginning, "nobody really knew what to do," said a volunteer. The officials brought all the equipment they could need – small water pumps, long pipes, knives and shovels – but apparently they were not suitable.
They even tried to drill in the side of the mountain. drive and use drones with thermal sensors to try to locate boys
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Rescuers also turn to villagers for local knowledge. The sailors of the Thai Navy found a boy, a member of the boar who allegedly spent the expedition to the cave. He remembered a place in the complex that they had visited before – called Pattaya Beach.
Could the missing 13 be there?
- Drones, Dogs, Drilling and Despair
In the midst of rescue operations, a small group watched over the entrance to the cave.
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These were the families of boys who, worried, offered prayers for their lives. Among them was Tum Guntawong, the godmother of the coach "Ake".
Every day she climbed the mountain, bearing fruit, incense and candles. "It was to show respect to the spirit that protects the cave, I asked him to protect the 13 children," she said
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"We wanted to be the first to welcome the boys when they came out," said school administrator Ampin Saenta, who is so close to a boy, Adul, that She calls her "mom-teacher". Wild Boars classmates held group prayers, sang songs of encouragement in the cave, folded paper cranes and posted hopeful messages on the school's billboards [19659071]. the boys and their coach.
- "You Never Imagine Someone You Know Could Be Trapped"
This feeling of community soon began to spread, as history gained momentum. the attention of the nation. Volunteers from other parts of Thailand arrived, while Thai social media were illuminated with expressions of love and support.
But he was about to be even bigger.
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The first international aid workers arrived on Thursday, June 28th.
These were American air force rescue specialists and cave divers from the United Kingdom, Belgium, Australia, Scandinavia and many other countries. other countries. Some volunteered and some were called by the Thai authorities.
Others were roped off when it became clear how much the research effort would be monumental.
Over the next few days, they and the Thai divers would be fighting with the elements all the time. They had to swim against a strong current, and were often forced by the increase of floodwaters.
On Sunday, July 1 – a little over a week after the disappearance of the boys – the rescuers made some progress. They have reached a large cavern that will later be nicknamed "room three" and will serve as a base for divers.
It was also the birthday of Note – one of the "Thai cavemen", as they were now. doubled by the media. All, however, were still lost in the world.
But not for long. The next day, two British divers made an incredible discovery.
& # 39; Thirteen? Brilliant!
John Volanthen and Rick Stanton braved Tham Luang's narrow and troubled passages for several days, unfurling guiding ropes and looking for signs of life.
On Monday, the two men finally reached the beach of Pattaya. But there was nothing there.
They continued in the dark. Then, a few hundred meters away, they found an air pocket.
"Wherever there is air, we surface, we shout, we feel," John told the BBC.
"We felt the children before seeing or hearing them.
Soon, the light of John's torch illuminated an electrifying spectacle – the boys emerged from the darkness, descending the
Rick starts counting the boys, while John asks, "How many of you?" [19659003] "Thirteen!" (19659003) "Thirteen? Brilliant!
Next to John, Rick could not believe what he was seeing. "They are all alive!"
The wild boars were found.
The two divers spent time with the boys – trying to cheer them up. Then they left the lights to the boys and promised to return later with food
The extraordinary meeting was recorded on the divers' cameras – and quickly put online. The jubilation was instant and global.
Worried by worry for most of last week, the parents of the Wild Boars were delighted to see that their children had miraculously survived. They seemed thin, but were in relatively good condition.
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Boys and their children L & # 39; Coach was quickly joined by a Navy SEAL military nurse and divers who would stay with them for the rest of the ordeal.
After nine days in the dark, wild boars again saw the light. They longed for good food, and begged Pad Krapao, a rice dish with sautéed meat with basil.
But the doctor's orders were that they be put on a special diet of medicated liquid foods, and mineral water with vitamins. 19659003] A third boy, Dom, spent his birthday in the cave.
Rescuers went to work to find out how to extract 13 people – some of whom could not swim – from a stretch of winding caves 4 km long. "The weather is not on our side because they expect heavy rains within three days," said diver Ben Reymenants at the BBC at the time
. "[19659004] An army of volunteers
The amazing discovery of children at the bottom of a mountain cave catapulted the small Mae Sai under the international spotlight.
Overnight, reporters from around the world came down rescue volunteers from around the world flocked.
A sma A makeshift city was invaded by the rural field at the entrance to the cave.
Food stalls were set up – some staffed by members of the Royal Thai Kitchen – serving free drinks, hot noodles, chicken rice and even ice lollypops
- Hope Grows Up Entrance to a Thai cave. the work was too small to do.
The country park toilets were dirty and stretched beyond their capacity – so people started cleaning them. The workers needed to get on and off the mountain – so the drivers offered free ski lifts. The rescuers were covered with mud – so a local laundromat cleaned their clothes every night.
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Media legend Thailand cave rescue: Meeting with volunteers a deadly accident devastated the community
A hero dies
Saman Gunan, former diver of the Navy Seal, is one of many volunteers who rushed to help rescue
. delivering air tanks to the boys, he lost consciousness after running out of air for himself. His diving buddy took him out and tried to revive him.
But Saman could not be saved. The wife and father remember the Thai "hero" diver: "He loved helping others"
His burial took place later that day. Buddhist monks whispered prayers for Saman while incense was burned.
His wife, Waleeporn Gunan, said, "Saman once said that we never know when we are going to die … so we must cherish every day."
Death strikes at home the danger of the rescue mission, and the risks faced by boys. Saman was a fit and healthy diver who had also represented Thailand in the triathlons.
Ratdao Chantapoon, the mother of the cave boy Note, reportedly told a friend: "The Navy Seal had been practicing for so long and was so strong"
There was something else to be feared – despite efforts to rebuild air, oxygen levels in the room had fallen to 15%, lower than usual 21%.
Time was running out
Rescuers had identified three possible options:
- Train the boys to dive in the flooded areas of the cave – a process so ripe with a potential for disaster that it was widely considered a last resort [19659142] Pump out the cave water and wait for the water levels to decrease naturally – but it could take up to four months
- Find or drill alternative passages in the cave
Divers started to practice with local boys determine how to transport a child safe in the water.
Other solutions, such as the offer of a submarine the size of a child designed by Elon Musk's engineers, would be dismissed as inappropriate. that even simple tasks – installing overhead and telephone lines in the cave – seemed impossible at first sight because of the labyrinthine layout of the cave.
Finally, at the end of July 6, rescuers set up an oxygen supply. And in the end the boys communicated with their parents to the old – by writing letters.
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Seals of the Thai NavyImage Caption
Night, Tern and Note Letters
The letters, made public by the Navy Seals of Thailand, were deeply moving.
Clawed hearts and smiling faces on paper, the boys were telling their parents that they loved them and did not care
- Letters of love from the Thai boys trapped
They listed the food they wanted to eat – fried chicken and pork crunch. We even made a joke: "Master, please, do not give us too much homework!"
"I'm really sorry for the parents," coach Ake said in his letter. But instead of a lick, he received nothing but love.
"Coach Ake, I really thank you for taking care of all the children, and keeping them safe," wrote the parent of a boy.
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AFPSunday, July 7. Two weeks have passed since the boys disappeared.
Thai authorities announced unexpectedly that they were withdrawing boys …
"There is no other day when we are more ready than ever" Today, Narongsak Osotthanakorn, the chief of rescue operations, said:
Journalists and volunteers were asked to leave the cavern rescue site – and a keen and solid mood has invaded the camp
legend Rescue teams begin the operation to extract the boys from the cave
Why the instant decision? The rain that had bombarded Mae Sai had been extinguished in recent days, giving rescuers a rare chance.
The locals also told the Navy Seals that around July 10 of each year, the Tham Luang cave system would be completely flooded.
It was time to launch what was later to be described as a "superhuman" rescue effort, involving nearly 100 Thai and foreign divers.
The trip was divided into two sections.
The first – from the boys' bedrock to the third bedroom – was more difficult. Rescuers made their way for hours through deep black waters that cooled the bones, making their way with guiding ropes. Sometimes they had to navigate sections so ridiculously narrow that they could barely cross a body.
Each boy was given an integral air mask to allow him to breathe and attach to a diver. Another diver accompanied them.
A cylinder was attached to the front of each child, while a handful was attached to their backs – and they were held face down to make sure the water's Would escape from their faces.
A British diver likened the equipment to a "shopping bag" that allowed them to maneuver the boys around obstacles.
In the narrow sections, rescuers had to unpack their air tanks to sneak, while pulling
It would have been terrifying for experienced divers, not to mention children who could not swim. The Thai government says the boys and the coach have been given anti-anxiety meds to relax – but several sources told the BBC that they were actually heavily sedated, and only semi-conscious during the trip to make sure they would not panic. 19659003] Once in the third bedroom, it was time to move on to the second phase. It took another few hours
Each boy was tied on a stretcher and carried by a team of at least five men. At one point, they had to place the stretcher on a raft and pull it across a basin of water chin height
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AFP / Royal Thai NavyThe rescuers had to hoist the boys on a steep slope using a pulley system. In some rocky areas, they formed a human chain, passing boys by hand, while at others, they slipped them on pipes that pumped water.
For the Ivan Karadzic diver, the experience was extremely stressful. Stationed halfway into the cave, he was responsible for replacing the air tanks and guiding the rescue divers.
He clearly remembers the nerves he felt when the first boy emerged from the darkness and was brought to him. "I did not know if he was a victim or a kid," he told the BBC.
"But when I saw that he was alive and breathing – it was very good."
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Thai Students prayed for the Rescue Mission
One by one, wild boars were released from the darkness of Tham Luang. They received oxygen before being swept away in ambulances to a hospital in Chiang Rai City.
Rescuers removed them three times for several days because they needed time to fill the air tanks. they cut him close. By the time the last group of boys and coach were out, the water levels were starting to rise again, as fast as 30cm in an hour, according to Major SEAL Supachai Tanasansakorn.
It was Tuesday, July 10 – the day the locals said the cave would be completely flooded.
But while the boys were outside, there were still people on the rocky ledge at the bottom of Tham Luang – the SEAL sailors and nurses who had treated the wild boars, as well as Richard Harris, a famous expert in underground diving and Australian doctor.
They appeared shortly after the release of the last boy. It was not a moment too early, as a pump suddenly stopped working – some said that she had failed while others said she was off.
The floods rushed, sending workers to clean up the site while fleeing.
It was an amazing feat – after two painful weeks, the Thai cavemen and their coach finally came out unharmed.
On Facebook, the Navy Seals of Thailand have posted: "We do not do not know if it's a miracle, science, or what. "
In Chiang Rai, jubilant crowds punctuated the streets leading to the hospital, encouraging ambulances.
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ReutersThai Social Media has been inundated with hashtags #ThankYou, #Heroes and #Hooyah, the seal of the Thai Navy's signature .
Throughout the world, millions of people who had followed anxiously in history celebrated the return of wild boars
. But it was a bittersweet night for one person – Richard Harris. The altruistic doctor who shortened his vacation in Thailand to save the boys' lives received the terrible news that his father had just died.
- The doctor who chose to stay in the cave
Reunited again
Legend of the media The boys give signs of peace on their return to the hospital Dressed in robes and wearing masks, the Thai cavemen sat in their bed from hospital and beckoned to the world. 19659003] On Wednesday, July 11, the media had their first post-rescue overview of the Wild Boars in a video of Thai Navy Seals. Some made signs of victory on camera.
Their parents, who had waited so long to hold their sons back, were not by their side. They were behind a shop window, some sobbed with joy at the sight of their boys
The government said that it was necessary to quarantine the boys to protect them as well as others against the infection – but that did not prevent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha from visiting in person. Parents did not publicly oppose the strict rules.
In the hospital, the boys and the coach underwent a series of medical checks. At first, the eyes were mandatory – their eyes, accustomed to two weeks of darkness, could not stand the light.
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AFPImage caption
The last four Navy SEAL come out of the cave
Hospital authorities said some had minor lung and eye infections and needed antibiotics. Apart from that, they seemed to be healing.
Finally, the parents were finally allowed to briefly see the boys, although they had to maintain a distance of 2m, and they wore gowns and hospital masks.
Some boys even started to eat normally again.
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Legend of the media Arpakorn Yuukongkaew, head of the seals of the Thai Navy: "There was only one little bit of hope " As for the rescuers, they are still digesting the unprecedented feat that they realized
" We did not think the mission would be so successful ", said the head of the Thai Navy, Adm Arpakorn Yuukongkaew
. Rescue operations began, his team had only "a little hope that they could still be alive."
"In the end this little hope has come true."
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Getty ImagesMany expected the story of the wild boars to end with a tragedy. Instead, it has become a story of hope and survival, and of parents and sons together.
C'est une histoire de gens ordinaires du monde entier qui se rassemblent dans une ville reculée du nord de la Thaïlande avec une mission: sauver 12 jeunes garçons et leur entraîneur
"Si vous pouviez faire la même chose pour l'enfant de quelqu'un d'autre »John a déclaré aux journalistes à son retour au Royaume-Uni
Quelle est la prochaine étape pour Mae Sai? Le district, et la grotte Tham Luang, ont été mis sur la carte globale, probablement de façon permanente
Droits d'auteur de la photo
AFPLégende de l'image
L'histoire des Wild Boars a dominé la vie de la communauté locale
Déjà, les autorités locales envisagent de transformer le complexe troglodytique en un musée et une attraction touristique – et, inévitablement, au moins deux sociétés de production envisagent le potentiel hollywoodien de l'histoire et la pêche pour transformer la mission de sauvetage dans un film. 19659003] En ce qui concerne les Wild Boars et Coach Ake, les plans sont pour eux de se raser la tête et de passer quelques jours dans un monastère. Leurs familles croient que cette tradition bouddhiste thaïlandaise bénira leur vie et les purifiera d'une expérience malheureuse.«C'est pour leur protection», a déclaré le grand-père de Night, Seewad Sompiangjai. "C'est comme s'ils étaient morts [after going into the cave] – et maintenant ils ont renaître."
Pour les garçons, et l'entraîneur Ake – leur première priorité une fois qu'ils quittent l'hôpital doit sûrement être de passer du temps avec leur famille.
Tous, la nuit doit encore célébrer ce 17e anniversaire – et ses parents lui ont promis une fête.
Reportage additionnel par BBC News et le personnel thaïlandais de la BBC à Chiang Rai, et BBC Bristol. Merci à la population locale de Chiang Rai et d'ailleurs en Thaïlande qui a rendu notre reportage possible.
Lire la suite des rapports de la BBC sur le sauvetage de la grotte thaïlandaise ici.
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