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HomeDESTINATIONSCave Trap: Rainstorms could slow rescue

Cave Trap: Rainstorms could slow rescue

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CHIANG RAI, 6 July 2018: More generators and water pumps are being deployed to lower the water level in Tham Luang Nan Nong cave to enable the evacuation of 12 boys and their football coach trapped in the cave since 23 June.

Draining water from the cave continues to be the priority for rescue teams as they face the prospect of more rainstorms at the weekend.

Members of the Moo Pa Academy youth football team and their coach remain trapped on higher ground in the 8 km-long cave chambers and tunnels that are now partly flooded.

According to Thailand’s National News Bureau, the Department of Mineral Resources is overseeing the drainage operation and has received additional power generators from the private sector.

Another three to four water pumps were added, Thursday to speed up the operation.

Authorities say they are speeding up the drainage pace as more monsoon rainstorms have been forecast at the weekend and during next week according to Thailand’s Meteorological Department.

Despite the success locating the missing team of young footballers in Tham Luang, Monday night, rescuers now face the huge hurdle of finding the safest way to get the boys out of the cave through and series of narrow tunnels and chambers that remain flooded.

Chiang Rai governor, Narongsak Osotthanakorn, in his capacity as head of the rescue operation, commented earlier that the mission objective was to evacuate the 12 schoolboys and their football coach, with minimum risk.

The governor said: “Proper measures need to be taken before commencing the extraction. One precaution is making sure all survivors have fully regained their strength under the monitoring of medical personnel and Navy Seals.”

Currently, Navy Seals are giving diving lessons to the stranded 13, in case extraction by diving and swimming becomes the only viable option.

Once they are extracted from the cave they will be transported to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital by helicopters, which will take just 15 minutes.

Addressing concerns over the water level inside the cave, the governor stressed that officials would only evacuate the boys by diving if they are absolutely sure that the process was safe.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department is keeping a close watch on the weather.

At a press conference on Thursday, Narongsak said that water continues to block underground routes that could otherwise be used to exit the flooded cave, adding that rescuers are speeding up the draining process before assessing all possible rescue methods.

It is taking up to 11 hours for a rescue worker to travel between the cave entrance and the point where the boys are located.

He went on to say that rescuers are assessing other possibilities such as lifting the boys out through a nearby blowhole.

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