On the one hand, few stories have cranked my claustrophobia to 11 quite like the story of the Thai boys trapped in a cave for…
…gulp…
…two weeks.
But as this is written, the staggeringly tricky rescue is finally underway:
Senior officials told Reuters and AFP that six boys had been rescued, but this could not be confirmed.
Rescuers will now need another 10 to 12 hours to get ready for the next stage of the remarkable operation, Narongsak said..
The plan is to take the rest of the group out in batches of four within two days according to the Journal.
All of the rescued were examined and found to be in good health, according to local outlet The Nation.
The governor confirmed this, saying the health of the four boys is “perfect.”
Another local outlet, Kahosod English, said one of the rescued soccer players was being “closely monitored.”
The Thai Navy Seals posted on their Facebook page that four of the boys had been rescued.
Am I the only one who thinks “well, this is the 21st century” on learning the Thai SEALS have a website?
And of course, in a world that venerates vacuous celebrity, it’s elevating to know that the world still has some real heroes
Sgt. Major Saman Gunan wasn’t abiding by any orders when he joined the effort to rescue a boys soccer team trapped in a cave in northern Thailand. The 38-year-old retired Thai Navy SEAL did so by choice.
Gunan, who was working as a volunteer, passed out underwater during an overnight mission placing extra air tanks inside the cave, along the route divers use to reach the cavern where the 12 boys and their coach remain stranded and the oxygen in the air is depleting. He couldn’t be revived and was confirmed dead early Friday morning, according to Thai officials.
Hopefully this story will be over, with a happy ending, today.
As of midday it appears they’ve been able to get out all but 4 boys and the coach, and hope to rescue them tomorrow. I saw a interview with a US Navy Seal over the weekend that compared the logistics of the rescue effort to that of climbing the summit of Mt. Everest. Sgt. Major Gunan is a hero by his selfless efforts, God rest his soul. There’ll be plenty of others we’ll never hear about but they deserve our praise.
Does anyone know how they got trapped in the first place? Touring a cave and what, an underground river broke through?
Spelunking followed by heavy rains, I believe. Lots of sacrifice by the divers and by those living there, who put their farms underwater to help make it possible to get the kids out.