After 18 days in a cave, the 12 Thai children and their trainer saw the light



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How to get 13 people out of a cave flooded by narrow passages? The question loomed for several days at the head of Thai specialists until they made a decision: in spite of the risks inherent in the measure, they would withdraw.

The evacuation of the 12 children, between 11 and 16 years old, and their football coach trapped in the cave of northern Thailand ended on Tuesday, after the survivors had passed more two weeks underground.

"The 12 wild boars – the name of their football team – and their coach were evacuated from the cave," said the elite body of the Thai navy who participated in the rescue on Facebook. he completed the rescue operation of the last four children and coach with the rains pressure that precipitated the rescuers.

Out of a total of 13, five left on Tuesday, four Monday and four Sunday. A team of expert foreign divers flanked by Thai Navy commandos led the operations that were meticulously planned.

Between the flooded tunnels and the passages through which they had to slide, the journey was full of difficulties

Their rescue put an end to a complex operation that unleashed massive prayer days in Thailand and had the collaboration of specialists. from several countries.

The first eight children are in "good health," the authorities said. They have already undergone radiology and blood tests. Two of them, who had symptoms of pneumonia, received antibiotics and are in a "normal state," said the official, who said everyone would remain under surveillance at the hospital for one week.

Thailand but also from abroad. The children received messages of support from the most diverse personalities, from US President Donald Trump, technology guru Elon Musk, to Argentine football star Lionel Messi.

British Prime Minister, Theresa May, celebrated Tuesday on Twitter "the courage of all involved" in the operation. "All released, good job!" Said Donald Trump.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino even invited the children to attend the World Cup final on July 15 in Moscow. But, according to a senior official of the Ministry of Health, they will not be able to go to Russia and will have to stay some time at the hospital

History

On June 23 at 10 am, The practice of the team begins. Boar football. After finishing the training, they decided to go explore the cave of Tham Luang. They left the bicycles and their football boots in the entrance and started walking towards the inside of the cave. But when they wanted to go home, it was already late, because the torrential rain flooded the cave and prevented their exit. His parents began to worry because they did not reach their homes, so they reported his disappearance to the police.

The same night, the agents started looking for the boys and found their belongings at the entrance of the cave and traces of hands and feet, which indicates that they had been there. Upon learning that they could be there, family members came to the place.

On Monday, June 25, the search began in the cave. That day, two divers from the Thai Navy came in, whose plan was to reach an air pocket where it was believed that the young people could have found shelter. But they had to give up research because the water level inside the cave had increased. Two days later, more than 30 soldiers arrived from the United States and three British divers participated in the search operation. However, they had to suspend because the torrential rains flooded the cave again. Nine days after the start of the search, British divers found the boys 400 meters from Pattaya Beach, where the team controlled the amount of water. from the research I thought they were. When they found them, they were reassured and promised that they would come back with more people to help them. In a video published by the divers themselves, you can see the exact moment they are found, where you can see the 12 barefoot boys sitting on a big rock. They asked them to bring them food and asked what day it was, and one of the divers said, "Monday, they have been there for 10 days, you are very strong."

The parents who were in the vicinity of the cave They celebrated the good news. But the big challenge was finding a way to save them safely. The rescue team managed three possible options for removing them.

The first was to drill the cave and create new ways of access and exit. From the beginning of the research tasks they considered this option to drain the flood water, but the thickness of the stone walls was a lot and they dismissed the idea. In addition, prior inspections should have been done inside the cavern to avoid potential landslides.

Another option was to wait until the rain stopped and the flood calmed down. In the meantime, they would receive food and medicine so that they can support all the time needed inside the cave. But this option has also been excluded by the health status of children.

The last option was to make them dive, but it was the most dangerous of all: "With this kind of extreme conditions, it is very easy and very likely that they are terrified and can end to their life or that of the rescuers, "he said. BBC Edd Sorenson, Florida Regional Coordinator for the International Organization of the Restoration of Underwater Caves

Read also : Saved the 12 children and their trainer after spending 18 days in a cave

Despite the dangers that the professionals have reported, the authorities decided to immerse the children. They entered a team of ten soldiers and a doctor to assess the physical evolution of youth and decide when to start the rescue. Even though they were physically fit, they had lost a lot of weight and were tired, so they needed time to recover.

They also had to take into account the children's reaction to what they would have to endure during the rescue; zero visibility and cold water temperature. Another disadvantage with the rescuers was that the children could not swim, so they had to teach them to swim and dive at the same time.

On Friday, July 6, which no one expected, a Thai diver died of a lack of oxygen while he returned from providing food and medicine to children. This tragedy questioned the safety of the plan they planned to implement. At each trip, the rescuers had to travel 1.7 kilometers, an 11-hour round trip

The next day, the coach sent a message of apology to all the parents of his players for everything that had happened. The children also sent messages to their loved ones to try to convey tranquility. "Mom, dad, I love you, we're fine, do not worry," "We're all strong" were some of the messages kids wrote in the letters.

Finally, Sunday, July 8, the rescue ended the best possible way

Source: AFP

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