Boys trapped in cave in Northern Thailand.Facebook/Royal Thai Navy
At least four of the 12 boys trapped inside of a cave in northern Thailand for two weeks have now been brought above ground. Local media is reporting that six boys have been rescued.
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Divers have launched a mission to rescue the schoolboys, aged between 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old coach. The group went missing on June 23 after setting out to explore the Tham Luang cave complex.
13 foreign cave divers and 5 Thai Navy Sales are involved in the rescue operation at #ThamLuang
— DiamondShark (@LadyCaveDiver) July 8, 2018
Each boy will be escorted by 2 divers
The most difficult part will be the “choke point” in the third chamber #ThamLuangRescue pic.twitter.com/G97b8CHzEl
Thirteen foreign divers, mainly from Europe, and five Thai Navy SEAL members are attempting to bring the boys, many who cannot dive or swim, through narrow, submerged passageways. On Friday, a former Thai Navy SEAL diver died after running out of oxygen in the cave.
RIP, Saman Gunan, former #Thai Navy Diver who died trying to rescue the 12 boys and their football coach in flooded cave pic.twitter.com/BE8Nt3TySe
— Joshua Nte Rogers (@joshua_rogerss) July 8, 2018
Rescuers made the decision to proceed with the dangerous operation on Sunday due to fears of rising waters, the BBC reports.
The children are being rescued in groups and it is uncertain how long the mission will take.