Rescue of Thai Cave: T-junction "crisis point" threatens end of dangerous escape offer, Southeast Asia News & Top Stories



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MAE SAI, THAILAND (AFP) – Twelve boys and their football coach trapped in a flooded Thai cave will have to sneak their way through an extremely narrow tunnel in absolute darkness – the main point of "crisis" looming in the air. end of their treachery

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" which started on Sunday morning, but there are many other potential pitfalls

Here are some of the challenges that the boys and their coach will face when leaving the cave they ventured into on June 23rd. found trapped more than four kilometers from the entrance due to monsoon rains.

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 in the water flowing quickly in the dark, a challenge for the elite divers.

The difficulty of the trip was underlined. The former diver of the Thai Navy died Friday after running out of 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 1.9km from the shelf where the boys sheltered themselves over the waters. After exhausting efforts in jagged tunnels and climbing along the rock walls over this distance, they will confront Sam Yak

"The biggest crisis point for diving is to 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." After that, the tunnels widen, the waters calm down, and walking is even possible, according to the authorities, the rest of the trip should be relatively safe since they will have reached a base. Advanced operations inside the cave.

Duration, strength

The trip 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 five hours for divers to reach the edge where the team is trapped and six hours for the trip.

The boys were found disheveled and weak nine days after having ventured. 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 cavern 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 among boys – already traumatized after spending so long in the cave – potential panic.

"The mental side of this has to be one of the main considerations," said AFP Andrew Watson, an experienced miner rescuer,

"A single panic can cause a problem" . He says:

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 the Ministry of the Interior's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, told reporters Sunday that the level of water in the cave had continued to fall and that precipitation was lower than forecast.

was on his way, which could flood the area 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.

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