The First Two Boys Have Been Extracted Safely From Tham Luang Cave

 

CHIANG RAI – Authorities have confirmed that Navy SEAL divers have extracted 2 of the 13 trapped footballers at Tham Luang cave in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai.

The first two boys made their way out through the flooded Tham Luang cave on Sunday evening, and were immediately transported to a hospital for medical treatment.

One of the first boys to emerge from the labyrinthine cave network in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai, was Mongkol Boonpiem, 13, according to sources. The name of the other was not immediately released.

The area outside the hospital was cordoned off with police patrolling the area, said a Reuters reporter at the scene. Down the street, a loud speaker told vendors to “keep off the road” and to “not obstruct the transfer mission”.

The Navy SEALs’ operation base said the remaining boys and their coach will follow during the final stage of the week-long operation after rescuers decided on Sunday to bring the 13 out at 10am due to concerns that more rainfall could send more water into the cave.

It normally takes the Navy SEAL divers six hours to travel each way to bring supplies to the trapped footballers.

 

#BREAKING: An ambulance just drove by, we believe it has one of the first kids out of the #thamlaungcave. pic.twitter.com/kEhePnbZKp

— Saksith Saiyasombut (@SaksithCNA) July 8, 2018

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, leader of the military junta that seized power in 2014, planned to visit the cave site on Monday, a government spokesman said.

His visit with relatives and rescue officials last week was criticized by some Thais as opportunistic as his government faced pro-democracy protests in the capital Bangkok in recent months.

A team from a company owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk with drilling and exploration expertise was expected to reach the cave site on Sunday, Thailand’s defense ministry said.

Musk said on Twitter a team from his rocket company SpaceX in Los Angeles was building a “tiny kid-size submarine” to help with the rescue, although gave a timeline that suggests it would not arrive in Thailand until Monday at the earliest.