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HomeDESTINATIONSSoccer team lost in Chiang Rai caves

Soccer team lost in Chiang Rai caves

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CHIANG RAI, 27 June 2018: Rescue teams continue to search for a group of 12 boys who went missing in the province’s Tham Luang caves.

Videos released, Tuesday, showed the difficult conditions rescue teams were facing in the search for 12 members of an under-16 soccer team and the coach, who have gone missing for three days in a labyrinth of caves in near Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province.

Thai Visa.com showed a clip, shared by rescue worker, Wiangchai Berm Kunngamkwandee. It appears to show almost zero visibility as rescuers search the Tham Luang caves.

Rising floodwaters, due to heavy rain in the area, forced rescuers to suspend the search for the missing group on Monday evening before resuming at first light on Tuesday.

Rescuers have been searching for the boys, age between 11 and 15, and their 25-year old football coach, after the mother of one of the boys reported him missing on Saturday afternoon.

On Monday a team of Navy SEAL divers joined the rescue operation to help search through the cave complex, which is believed to be up to 8 km long and contains numerous chambers and caverns.

Water pumps, power lines and communication sub stations have been erected at the entrance to the cave to assist the rescue operation.

Officials said, Monday afternoon, they believe the group is still alive and have gone further into the cave than rescuers have been able to reach so far.

Earlier, The Nation reported that rescue workers had received information that there are two ceiling passages, which would allow search teams to descend into the cave aiding rescue efforts.

On Tuesday, Thailand’s Channel 3 shared footage of parents and relatives of the missing boys who had gathered at the entrance of the cave, where the boys had left their bicycles, backpacks and shoes.

The caves are not particularly popular with visitors to the province, but the incident and the rescue mission will alert authorities to the danger of allowing people access to the cave system particularly during the rainy season.

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