Four more boys successfully rescued from Thai cave
Rescuers guide four more boys out yesterday with perfect weather conditions and a fall in water levels
Divers successfully guided four more of the boys trapped in a Thai cave to safety yesterday as the official in charge of the rescue effort said mission time was getting faster.
He said divers yesterday shaved two hours off the mission on Sunday, when they also got four boys out.
"Our rescuers can shorten the operation time by two hours," Mr Narongsak Osotthanakorn, the former governor of Chiang Rai province, said to a round of applause at a press conference.
There are now four boys and their football coach left in the cave. Mr Narongsak said more than 100 people, including 18 international cave divers, took part in the operation yesterday.
"2 days, 8 Wild Boars. Hooyah," the Thai Navy Seals said in a post on their official Facebook page, referring to the boys and their coach by the name of their football team.
Each boy brought out of the cave in Mae Sai, in Chiang Rai province, yesterday was examined by doctors before being carried away on stretchers to waiting Thai military helicopters.
They were flown to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital, where their friends who were rescued earlier are. All are in isolation to ensure they do not have any infections.
The rescue operation, like on Sunday, was suspended yesterday after the last boy emerged to allow the team of international and Thai divers to rest and restock air tanks.
"Again, we have to prepare equipment that will take another 20 hours. I can't give you exact timing (for the next operation)," said Mr Narongsak. "We are confident that the next operation will be better and should be 100 per cent successful," he added.
The operation resumed at 11am yesterday in perfect weather conditions. The sun was shining over the mountain range and no rain was in sight.
A fall in water levels in the cave - thanks to non-stop pumping and the break in the weather - worked to the advantage of rescuers, making it possible for those making their way out to walk on some stretches of their six-hour journey.
When diving, the compressed air tanks on the boys had to be released from their backs and rolled through in narrow parts of the cave. None of the boys - who range in age from 11 to 16 - have diving experience.
Their coach is 25.
The rescue operation claimed the life of a former Thai navy diver last Friday.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha travelled to Chiang Rai yesterday to meet the families of those trapped.
The authorities declined to provide the identities of the rescued boys, out of respect for the families of those still trapped.
Aussie doctor braves danger to be with trapped Thai soccer team
BANGKOK: An Australian doctor is one of the international dive experts at the centre of the effort to rescue a group of Thai boys and their football coach trapped in a cave in Chiang Rai.
Dr Richard Harris, an anaesthetist from Adelaide, undertook the dangerous dive to the boys and their coach on Saturday , reported The Sydney Morning Herald.
He gave the final review on the boys' health, paving the way for the rescue attempt on Sunday that led to four of the 12 boys being extracted.
It is understood that British divers participating in the rescue specifically asked for Dr Harris' expertise, and he went back into the cave to help.
Mr David Strike, a dive event organiser who has known Dr Harris for more than a decade, said he had all the characteristics needed for the dangerous mission.
"He has been diving for over 30 years, and readily embraced advances in diving technology to better help him explore and photograph caves in Australia and overseas," Mr Strike told Fairfax Media.
"In the past few years, he has been involved in cave-diving explorations in Australia, China, Christmas Island and New Zealand. He has an active interest in diving safety and accident investigation.
"Quite apart from his own cave exploration experiences, as an anaesthetist and a medical professional who is also involved in retrieval medicine, he has always struck me as a person who is capable of calmly assessing any situation and then acting appropriately."
The operation to rescue the remaining boys and their coach from the Tham Luang cave in the northern Thai province of Chiang Rai resumed yesterday.
First 4 Thai boys rescued from cave in good condition
BANGKOK: The first four boys evacuated from Tham Luang cave complex in Thailand's Chiang Rai province on Sunday night are in good condition, Thai Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda confirmed yesterday, the Bangkok Post reported.
The boys are receiving medical attention at Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital.
A source involved in the rescue mission who saw two of the four boys walk out of the cave told Reuters they looked tired but healthy, adding one even looked "vivacious and fresh".
General Anupong said they are generally "strong and safe" and under close medical supervision, the Bangkok Post reported.He added: "They are well and happy. This morning, they complained that they were hungry and they asked for basil stir-fried rice."
But they will be "kept away" from physical contact with their parents until the risk of infection is over, he said, adding doctors will decide on family visits "at a distance or through glass".
Ms Supaluk Sompiengjai, a mother of one of the boys, told AFP: "I am keeping my fingers crossed to see whether my son will be one of those to come out today.
"We heard four boys are out but we do not know who they are. Many parents are still here waiting. None of us has been informed of anything."
But she added that she was "happy" at the prospect of seeing her son again.
Dr Thongchai Lertwilairattanapong, an inspector with the Public Health Ministry, told Thai daily newspaper Kom Chad Lek that the boys should be able to see their families soon but without any physical contact.
Rescue operation chief Naro-ngsak Osotthanakorn defended the lack of public disclosure of the names of the rescued boys, saying it "will create ill feeling" if their names are released while others languish inside the cave.
Dr Marc Siegel said on Fox News the boys may have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
He said: "The boys may experience flashbacks to their entrapment, nightmares, sudden episodes of fear and behavioural and personality changes as a result of the trauma they suffered."
He said the sooner PTSD is treated, the quicker and more effectively they will recover.
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