T-Junction's "crisis point" looming at the end of Thai cave rescue

CAVE. This undated photo taken recently and published by the Royal Thai Navy on July 7, 2018 shows a group of Thai Navy divers in Tham Long Cave during rescue operations. Supported Photo / Royal Thai Navy / AFP

MAE SAI, Thailand – Twelve boys and their football coach trapped in a flooded Thai cave will have to sneak into an extremely narrow and black tunnel – the main point of "crisis" that looming

Authorities have highlighted the tiny passage near T-Junction, or Sam Yak in Thai, as the most dangerous element of the trip for the team "Wild Boars" that began Sunday morning, but the rescue operation is expected to last from two to three days, said General Chalongchai Chaiyakorn, commander of the army, reporters, adding that it depends "other factors such as weather". (CHRONOLOGY: Rescue of Thai Caverns)

Here are some of the challenges that boys and their trainers will face when they leave the cavern they ventured into on June 23, trapped more than four kilometers from home. entrance because of the monsoon. rains

Ability to dive

The boys, aged 11 and 16, have no diving experience and some do not even know how to swim. They have received training in recent days in preparation for the extraction effort, but they will have to swim using diving equipment through the rapidly flowing water in the dark, a challenge for the elite divers.

The difficulty of the trip was underlined. The ex-diver of the Thai Navy died Friday, July 6 after missing oxygen in the cave.

Thirteen "world-class" foreign divers and Thai Navy sailors participate in the rescue effort. Two divers will escort each of the boys and the coach, at the age of 25.

T-Junction

The space is 1.9 kilometers from the shelf where the boys took refuge. above the waters. After exhausting efforts in jagged tunnels and climbing rock walls at this distance, they will confront Sam Yak.

"The biggest crisis zone for diving is on the left of the T-Junction," Narongsak Osottanakorn said. the chief of the rescue mission, during a briefing on July 2nd.

"There is a tunnel that has a passage that goes up and down narrowly and you have to turn a little and it's very small."

The tunnels widen, the waters calm and walking is even possible, according to authorities, the rest of the trip should be relatively safe as they will have reached an advanced base of operations at inside the cave.

Duration, strength

The journey will be long. Rescue mission chief Narongsak Osottanakorn told reporters on Sunday that the first boy should not emerge before 9pm (2pm GMT) on Sunday. This is consistent with previous officials' estimates that it would take 5 hours for the divers to reach the ledge where the team is trapped and 6 hours for the trip.

The boys were found disheveled and weak 9 days after their arrival. Although they have been receiving food and medicine since then, their lack of strength may be a crucial factor in determining their fate.

Visibility, panic

The water in the cave is muddy and unclear, with a diver comparing it to a latte. The labyrinth has no outside light. The boys will be helped through the darkness by guiding the rope, the torches and the escorts.

Nevertheless, poor visibility is one of the factors that cause concern for boys – already traumatized after spending so long in the cave and swimming underwater – potential panic

" The mental side of this has to be one of the main considerations, "said Andrew Watson, an experienced miner rescuer, at Agence France-Presse. (READ: Boys' Letters of Hope buried deep in a Thai cave )

"A single panicky individual can cause a problem," he said.

Bad weather

The operation was launched after several days of relatively mild weather, as more than 100 million liters of water were pumped out of the cave.

Kobchai Boonyaorana, Deputy Director General of Disaster Prevention The Interior Ministry announced Sunday that the water level in the cave had dropped and that rainfall was below forecast.

But forecasters warned that heavy rains were on the way, which could flood the region. completely. They said that there was a 60 percent chance of moderate to heavy rain on Sunday afternoon, and that heavier rain would continue from Monday to Thursday. – Rappler.com