Children missing in Thai cave found.

[eloisesparkle]

It appears the children and teacher have been found alive.
Has a miracle happened ?
I am so delighted and hope they will be ok after their horrific ordeal.
It's always nice to see good news as lately all the headlines are of something bad having happened.
Please forgive me if there is already a thread on this topic.

It must be the same ones otherwise they wouldn't need such lon rest period. I also assumed there were different teams, I even wondered if they'd cone up with a way to cross over in the cxaves so they could run more than one rescue at a time but it seems not :(

They also need that time to replenish the air supplies they have along the route. There must be a different team doing that. Plus I suppose all their equipment needs to be checked over after each trip, and the divers themselves will have medical checks.

Hope they are planning to get the coach out tomorrow as well.

Assuming he is healthy it is right that he should be last but please don't leave him there on his own!

I wonder if repeating the treacherous journey helps them to navigate/mentally prepare - I really hope that it does. Knowing that they've saved eight boys' lives.

There is some talk that the coach has already been brought out, although it’s obviously impossible to know. But they were saying that they’d brought the weakest out first and he was one of those. And as they’re not naming anyone there’s no way of knowing...

"Sorry if it's been asked and for being dim, but is it the same few divers each time or new teams?"

Essentially the same ones. Two per boy, and about 12 available divers with the high level of cave rescue experience needed. Plus some SEALs. They are all diving, as they have to do other tasks vital for safety too, like replacing the pre-positioned tanks, checking guideropes etc

"Assuming he is healthy it is right that he should be last but please don't leave him there on his own!"

I can't imagine that wouid happen. Rescue personnel (particularly the medics) have been staying in shifts with the group. We don't know, because we haven't been told, but I'm ready to bet the Aussie cave-diving rescue doctor hasn't been out since he went in.

Just watched a report on cbs news that said that the boys are being brought out, strongest first and that the coach is one of the last and is in a really bad way. It's very confusing news wise and I'm kind of hoping that the opposite is true.

Thanks for explaining Winnie. Remarkable, all of them.

Originally on the BBC they said there would be 3 groups. Group 1 and 2 being 4 boys and group 3 being a group of 5 including the coach.
I am finding the secrecy a bit worrying actually. No names, no contact with parents because of infection risk . If it was my child I wouldn't be happy to be prevented from seeing them. I really do hope they are coming out ok.

The almost blackout to media (and apparently to families too) will partly be down to cultural differences I reckon

I wonder if its part of the ongoing attempt to keep them all calm. Keeping the media circus at bay, getting a warm meal and a good nights sleep into the boys will all help transition them back. Ive no idea what Thai mothers are generally like but mine would be unbearable smothering me in hugs qnd kisses the minute I step out of the cave which is the last thing Id want.

I read that the Thai officials were really unimpressed that the media had been using tactics such as flying a drone over to try to get pictures etc. I think they have every right to feel that way. I think they are not at all used to our level of press intrusion and whilst it would be such a relief to receive frequent and reliable updates, it is more important that the boys' needs come first. The world can wait.

Somone on the cavediver.net site a few days ago mentioned Floyd Collins in relation to how the media and others can turn the whole thing into a circus so I googled this Floyd chap. I can imagine they are trying to avoid similar.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Collins

There was also the university student (?) who died in the cave in Castleton many years ago. That was a media circus of its time. Iirc they never got his body out and cemented him up in there. They also got a local schoolboy out of class to go and try and rescue him as they needed someone skinny!!

I didn't know if that, Nico. Just looked up, Neil Moss in 1959, his dad said to seal his body in after he was declared dead so as to avoid any further loss getting his body out. I've been down there and never knew.

And I agree that press intrusion can wait. We the public are not in any way important in this right now, those on the ground need to be able to focus on the job in hand in a time sensitive situation. The press aren't going to help here and I would suggest it's in the inter/national interest to leave the divers to it.

That’s the one. I’ve potholed as far as the Moss Chamber in Peak and seen the cemented up bit.....just couldn’t remember 100% if his body was still there or whether it was cemented up just to stop others going down there in the future. I know there’s been talk of breaking up the cement and exploring down there!

Some things are better left I would have thought.

I read about another man who died while stuck in a cave. His name was John Jones. He was a med student and got stuck in a hole while trying to get through and was near fully upside down. The people with him got help but he was stuck there for 27 hours before dying. They left his body there and cemented the cave up.

Good piece on this on the BBC News. They talked to a Dutch diver who has been involved in refilling air tanks. He said communication in the tunnel is one of the most challenging parts. He said unless you're within a few metres of someone else you cannot hear (the water is especially noisy). They also said that in fully submerged parts the boys have been strapped to the front divers' bellies, where space has allowed (obviously not during the pinch points). I've not heard this before.

Also, they are worried about serious lung infections caused in caves due to bat excrement, hence 48 hours of tests and relative isolation.

I wonder if the children will have gone straight to hospital and parents not informed also because they will need to check how they are after they have been sedated...were they conscious throughout the rescue?

It didn't say. I did read earlier that news blackout re who they are is also to protect the people who know them, and as an act of compassion for the parents of those still trapped.

It's now 17 days since the boys and their coach went into the cave system. 4 boys and the coach remain inside.

I've been following the Guardian coverage. This morning they are reporting that:

The boys brought out are between 12 and 16, meaning that the ones left in there include the youngest boy, aged 11, and the coach.

Torrential rain has started overnight.

Australian experts are very involved in the rescue.

4 of the rescued boys have seen their parents but only through glass. The other 4 will see their parents soon.

2 boys have lung infections. The boys will be kept in hospital for 7 days.

The rescued boys have asked for and been given bread and chocolate. They also have tv but aren't allowed to watch it because of concern for their mental health. I assume this means that they are letting them watch cartoons etc but not the rescue.

I hope that things go well today. The rain must make it more difficult.

I suspect that in addition to the 4 remaining boys and their coach there will be 1 or 2 rescuers / doctors stationed in the cave with them who will also have to dive out.