Four of the 12 boys trapped in a flooded cave in northern Thailand have been rescued following a dramatic eight-hour operation.
The boys were extracted from the Tham Luang cave network in the Chiang Rai province on Sunday evening by a team of 18 international cave diving experts, 15 days after becoming trapped.
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Narongsak Osatanakorn, head of the operation to rescue the 12 boys and their football coach, told media that the first two removed were brought out of the cave around 5.30pm local time, with two more emerging two hours later.
“Today was the best situation, in terms of the kids’ health, water and our rescue readiness. It has been our masterpiece work,” Osatanakorn said.
Will the remaining boys be rescued the same way?
The Guardian reports that water levels inside the cave have dropped in recent days, “allowing the boys to walk about half the jagged, muddy path” towards rescuers.
However, heavy rain has been forecast for the area surrounding the cave, “which could undo the ongoing efforts to drain the flooded caverns where the other boys remain trapped”, CNN says.
The rescue effort has already claimed one life, after former Thai Navy Seal Saman Kunan ran out of oxygen and lost consciousness in chamber three of the cave, about a mile from the entrance.
The next phase of the operation was scheduled to get under way this morning, after rescuers relayed "all of the air tanks and all systems along the way", Narongsak said. The children's families have all given their approval for the operation to proceed as soon as possible, he added.
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