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.

I've just watched the newsnight programme - :/ it makes the mission sound impossible. What an absolute nightmare

Isn’t it sammy?

Part of me thinks if they can get cameras and torches in there, they must be able to get the kids out.

No idea if drilling is a viable option. What if it causes the tunnels to collapse??

I've just morning's BBC update. In which it said there will be no move for the boys today. Divers/Navy personnel are assessing them and whether/when/how to move them. There is new footage of them with foil blankets and a Navy doctor has been through, there is some food and some light. The small mercy is that the weather forecast for th next week is dry, so there is a bit of time to make a good plan.

I guess that divers will have to try to haul a child-sized object through, and if narrow (someone said they don't have space for tanks on their backs the whole time, and as the boys won't be able to do the drills to move them, they might have to devise a novel way to strap them on)

the problem is if they panic. Goodness knows how they stop that happening because it could be suicidical not only for the boy who panics but also for the rescuers. The cave guys were saying at some points it is so narrow they had to take their tanks off! I am almost wondering whether it's easier to drug them then get the divers to drag them through or just dig the shaft down.

I just cannot imagine the terror and how easily they could panic.

My heart goes out to all involved.

I don’t see how they can stay perched on a ledge in the dark for the next 4 months. The rescuers have to figure a way of getting them out safely as the monsoon season has just started and the water levels in the caves could rise even further.

The rescuers need to start drilling as it can’t be any worse than trying to teach them to swim and scuba dive.

I wonder if it is possible to sedate them, wrap them up with a full face mask and take them out that way? Terrifying however they end up doing it. I really feel for the families waiting outside.

Daffo yes I was wondering about a small dose of some kind of sedative/tranquiliser .But would that compromise breathing ? Be risky if given for first time and no way of knowing how person would respond ?

and I can't work out if the whole route is flooded or if some of it has to be walked .THe diagram I posted upthread ( which was to give volunteers an idea of what would be required of them ) seemed to indicate that it wouldn't be swimming all the way .

It did look like it was stretches of flooded tunnel rather than the whole route, I think there were some photos of divers standing up on another chamber, but I guess that could change with rain. It got me this morning when I read that if they do stay down till it's dry, two navy doctors have said they'd stay there with them. People can be wonderful in a crisis.

pictures here
www.facebook.com/tnamcot/photos/a.1546912125412921.1073742512.253609038076576/1546916012079199/?type=3&theater

www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/04/thai-cave-rescuers-race-time-trapped-boys-monsoon-storms

Looks like strong need to get them out quickly before more rain .

I can't imagine

@VanellopeVonSchweetz99

“Also v surprised to hear parents wantng to send in rice & pork parcels - coming safely out of starvation is a tricky medical process and needs to be carefully supervised.”

The parents are desperate to send their love and care to their boys, when they can’t reach them in any way except with the few divers taking emergency rations etc... so it makes sense that their minds would leap to hoping they can do something for their children, and nurture them by their familiar home cooked food, prepared with all the love and care they have in the world.

They are probably trying to give them the kind of food they’d feed them when their boys are poorly at home and needs feeding up.

Looking at the geography, I’d guess that these aren’t highly affluent, educated or globally connected people. They are normal parents without access to much (money, or specialist information), trying to do their best in a terrifying situation.

Obviously they haven’t been able to send their home cooked food (yet), and I hope they’ve been told very gently and sensitively why it’s not possible at the moment. Because it’s about love, care and connection with their lost scared children, not just the food itself.

I hear you but eating real food when you are coming our of starvation is potentially lethal as I'm sure you understand.

Hopefully the medics will supervise well.

Ie refeeding syndrome

eatingdisorders.com/articles/anorexia/refeeding

Van there is so much expertise on site that I really don't think your concern is necessary .

I'm not posting another diagram am I ?

van we understand but we are not the anxious parents of 11 year old children trapped in lethal conditions for 10 days, not knowing whether we will see them again even now. If I was one of those parents I would not be thinking rationally at all. Please consider how patronising you are coming across.

I thought drilling seemed like the logical solution until I read something today about why it isn't a better option than diving or waiting it out. It turns out there are many reasons. For a start there is the best part of a kilometre of mountain to drill through. Even on a well-equipped, flat, dry building site that would take weeks if not months. On a mountain covered in forest during a monsoon, it would be impossible. They'd have to build roads first, to get trucks big enough to carry heavy duty drilling equipment through to the right place...and that's another problem. How would they find the right place to dig? The boys are in a small cavern, 800 metres down. The chances of pinpointing the exact spot are slim to non-existent, and anything short of pinpoint accuracy would be at best useless, at worst catastrophic if the drilling causes a rockfall. And even if the rescuers somehow overcame all these obstacles, built the roads, dug the hole and hit the bullseye...it would take longer than waiting for the water to subside.

I believe there are expeditions taking place to see if there might be ways to access the cave system somewhere closer to the boys. There might be other tunnels that mean the rescuers can bypass some of the flooded sections...but it's a long shot, and might still require some drilling anyway.

It's all so horrible to think about. If it was a disaster movie you'd roll your eyes at how improbable it all was. And here it is, happening for real.

I've been thinking about this a lot. Poor kids. I really can't see how waiting for four months can even be a possibility.

Whoever is in charge doesn't seem to be very good at explaining what's happening to the media, not that that should be their primary concern.
I'm wondering why the BBC haven't managed to bag those wonderful British divers that got there first for an interview, hopefully just because they're busy.
The best suggestion I have heard is that by pumping enough water out of the cave, and they are against the clock as heavy rain is forecast, it's possible the children could theoretically walk out the same way they went in.

I’m praying they find a way to get enough water out.

Still pumping water and reducing levels .Amazing .Salute to the engineers and everyone else .

www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/05/rescuers-draining-thai-cave-in-hope-football-team-can-walk-out-before-rains

Had to be said !

So much gratitude and so many thank yous on here
twitter.com/hashtag/13%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%94%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%A5%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%A7?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1014715947850977280&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2Flive%2F2018%2Fjul%2F05%2Fthailand-cave-rescue-thai-free-boys-football-soccer-team-monsoon-rain-live

The UK divers are on their way home, having made a brief statement that they did not do it to be heroes or give interviews, just to help find the boys.

They did a brilliant job, found the boys and contributed to the new cave map. They must be knackered.

I wonder if this type of thing would work ? If the boys can't swim ,if they panic ?

I guess they could have another diver behind them ?