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THAM LUANG CAVE, Thailand – Just reaching 12 boys and their football coach trapped in a cave in northern Thailand demanded a six-hour underground trip, one that is exhausting and treacherous even for the most divers experienced. and vicious currents, squeezing through two-foot passes and climbing several-storey rocks.
A veteran diver, a former member of the Thai Navy, lost consciousness and died early Friday after placing reserve tanks along the road. Meanwhile, oxygen begins to run out in the remote cave where the children have taken refuge.
Three of the people in the cave are said to be weakened by the authorities, and despite a pumping operation 24 hours a day, the threat is that the monsoon rains could bring even more water levels in their refuge precarious.
The initial euphoria in Thailand and around the world, according to which 13 people were found alive, gave way four days later. outside. The possibility of waiting months before seasonal floods disappear seems unlikely, but the practical problems of transporting 12 children and one adult safely through a three-kilometer maze of danger remain daunting, all the more so. more than some children can not swim. "When we found the boys, we thought that the boys would be able to survive long there," said Arpakorn Yookongkaew, commander of the Thai Navy SEAL, to reporters. Friday. "But now things have changed.We have a limited time.We have to work hard."
The oxygen level in the cave of the boys is about 15 percent and decreases, he says. , which is worrying: less than 16 percent can cause hypoxia, which in extreme cases can be fatal. 19659002] So the rescue effort has become more desperate. On Thursday night, rescuers began using a pipe to the cave in hopes of breathing in more air, in addition to carrying air tanks for later use – such as the diver who died, Saman Gunan, 38 years old. We are also working on a communication line to the cavern so that the authorities can better coordinate the rescue attempt and allow the boys to make contact with their families. At the present time, messages must be sent and shipped with divers, who risk a difficult 12-hour round trip journey from the entrance of the cave to the cave and back.
Interviews with the more experienced of some 140 divers Thailand and the rest of the world, who are here to help, focused on one striking fact: it was already one of the most difficult challenges of cave diving in the world, and now they have to keep the weakened boys reasonably healthy in the oxygen-depleted air by trying to teach them to attempt an underwater leak. A cave diver called it the underground equivalent of climbing Mount Everest – but without a guide to make things easier.
[ Get the latest updates on the rescue in the Times briefing. ] [19659002] Ben Reymenants, a Belgian cave diver who operates a dive shop in Thailand, was part of the group that found boys for the first time Monday, after more than a week of research. He said that the muddy current that pushed him during his initial dive was as powerful as Colorado's.
"You literally do yourself, bare hands, in zero visibility," said Mr. Reymenants, 45 years maintenance. "You can not read your depth gauge, you can not read the time, so you basically fly blind in a direction you do not know."
Reymenants said that he and other experienced divers initially thought that finding the group would be impossible under such terrible conditions.
But after it was clear that the Thai Navy's commanders would continue to send their SEAL members, Mr. Reymenants said that he volunteered to dive. A second time
"These children were at the age that they could have been my son," he said. "A Navy SEAL can not stay there while these children die in the cave, they have to show some activity – and if you are a Navy SEAL, yes, you will sacrifice yourself."
More than 110 divers are Thai Seal members, and they set up a command center in a dry place. Cavern area known as Room Three, where the crews are based around the clock. It is about a mile away for boys, but it's the hardest mile. Most of it is under water with few pockets of air.
"Everything is water and darkness," said Admiral Arpakorn. "There are a lot of alleys, from top to bottom.We can say that this mission is very brutal."
An American diver, an Air Force relief specialist who is a part from a team sent from Okinawa to Japan, said that getting the boys out now would require them to guide them under the water.
The cave complex, which has never been fully mapped, has many different formations, said the American, who could not be identified by his name for reasons of security. [19659002Cen'estpasuneseulerivièrequitraverselagrotteadoesilditettouteslesvoiesnavigablesnesemblentpasêtredirectementreliéesLepompagedel'eauàproximitédel'entréedelagrotteneréduitpasnécessairementleniveaudanslespartiespluséloignéesduréseaucommel'endroitoùsetrouventlesgarçonsetleurentraîneur
Under & # 39; water, everything is 10 times harder than on earth He communicated, solved complex technical problems, provided emergency care, simply moved, he said.
The terrain varies from one area to another – from sandy bottom to deep mud to rocks the size of a house. In one place, the waters converge to create occasional geysers.
Currents can flow quickly, especially when it is raining outside and the level of water in the cave is rising
. on the walls of the cave – much higher than today's levels – showing how much water has risen in the past.
Some passages are atrociously narrow – as small as 2 feet by 2 feet and a half, said Mr. Reymenants. But circumstances forced him to explore the cave in a way that was risky, even for a professional who had plunged into dangerous places around the world, he said, "Normally I would turn around "but normally I do not have 12 boys, and their entire lives, as a final point. "
Even as divers and rescuers navigate the challenges of this environment, concern about depleting oxygen in the boys' cave has become the commander of the search operation. and rescue, Narongsak Osottanakorn, said Thursday night that three people in the cave were weakening, although they remained in relatively good condition.
One It is thought that one of the three is coach, Ekkapol Chantawong, who reportedly gave his share of the meager supply of food to boys during their 10-day ordeal before they were found.
Reduced oxygen can also cause Dinko Novosel, the president of the European Cave Rescue Association, said in a phone interview that with an oxygen concentration of 15% or less in a cave – pretty much there where he stands – "you can on live, but you can not do anything. "
He added:" It's like being in high mountains. "
Admiral Arpakorn stated that the divers would continue the work Mr. Saman was doing, bringing in air tanks and placing them at designated points along the route.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, who closely monitored the rescue operation, ordered that Mr. Saman receive a funeral sponsored by the king and that his family be taken care of.
Twitter showed Mr. Saman wearing glasses sun while he was standing near the steps of an airplane
"We will bring the children home," he said.
Richard C. Paddock and Muktita Suhartono reported from the cave of Tham Luang and Mike Ives of Hong Kong.
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