On June 23, twelve boys aged 11 to 16 along with their 25-year-old coach disappeared into Tham Luang Nan Non in northern Thailand. The extensive cave system is 10 kilometers long, but the opening was blocked by a flood caused by monsoon rain — which has also rendered the rescue effort all the more difficult. Five, including the coach, remain in the cave.
On Monday morning, four boys were rescued and extracted from the cave, according to Sky News.
Then, later in the afternoon, an additional four boys saw the light of day, according to CNN.
According to Thai media, two of the boys were strong enough to walk themselves over to the makeshift clinic set outside the cave.
This rescue comes after being stuck in the cave for 15 days. Three of the rescued boys have now been taken to hospital, one of which was transported by helicopter, according to CNN.
Security must be evaluated
Rescue work initially paused after the first four boys were rescued. According to a government authority, a meeting was required to evaluate the security situation before the rescue operation could continue. The situation was still critical as the boys could suffer from oxygen deficiency. But later on Monday afternoon, rescue efforts continued and the additional four boys were saved!
Outside the cave, doctors, medical staff and even an emergency helicopter was readily available.
According to The Guardian, 13 medical teams are on site prepared to treat the boys.
In total there were twelve boys aged 11-16 as well as their 25-year-old coach stuck in the cave.
WATCH: BBC footage of ambulance leaving cave site amidst reports first boys from trapped football team have been rescued #thamluangcave #thamluang #ถ้ำหลวง #13ชีวิตติดถ้ำ #13ชีวิตรอดแล้ว #พาหมูป่ากลับบ้าน #ThailandCaveRescue pic.twitter.com/qu441ZuiJH
— Howard Johnson (@Howardrjohnson) July 8, 2018
Now we hope the rescue efforts continue to go well and that everyone is safely removed from the cave! Please like and share to pay tribute to the rescue workers who are risking their lives to save these boys and their coach.