Thai rescuer in cave dies from lack of oxygen
MAE SAI, Thailand — A Thai navy diver working as part of the effort to rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped in a flooded cave died Friday from lack of oxygen, underscoring risks of extracting the team.
The rescuer, a former Thai SEAL, was working in a volunteer capacity and died during an overnight mission in which he was placing oxygen canisters, Thai SEAL commander Arpakorn Yookongkaew told a news conference.
He said while underwater, the rescuer passed out and efforts to resuscitate him failed.
"Despite this, we will continue until we accomplish our mission," Arpakorn said.
Thai authorities are racing to pump out water from a flooded cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, before more rains are forecast to hit the northern region.
On Thursday, Chiang Rai provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said he asked the SEALs in charge of extraction plans to estimate what sort of a risk would be involved to bring out the boys and their coach even though they weren't 100 percent ready for a risky hourslong dive.
Officials prefer to get the boys out as soon as possible because heavy rain expected by Saturday almost surely will raise water levels again in the cave, making passage in some areas even more difficult, if not impossible. They are hoping that an upgraded draining effort can lower the water in an area where it is still at or near the ceiling. The idea is to get some headroom so the boys would not be reliant on scuba apparatus for a long stretch and could keep their heads above water.
"We can no longer wait for all conditions (to be ready) because the circumstance is pressuring us," Arpakorn said. "We originally thought the boys can stay safe inside the cave for quite some time but circumstances have changed. We have limited amount of time."
The governor has said the 13 may not be extracted at the same time, depending on their condition. They've practiced wearing diving masks and breathing, in preparation for the diving possibility.
The boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach went exploring in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in the northern province after a soccer game June 23. Monsoon flooding cut off their escape and prevented rescuers from finding them for nine days. The boys, although skinny, have been described as in good health. Authorities have said the soccer players are being looked after by Thai navy SEALs, including medics, staying with them inside the cave.
Cave rescue experts have said it could be safest to simply supply the boys where they are, and wait for the flooding to subside. That could take months, however, given that Thailand's rainy season typically lasts through October.
Experienced divers are wary of taking out the boys through the dark and dangerous waters still in the cave, especially since they are untrained.
A former Thai navy SEAL working as part of the effort to rescue a soccer team trapped in a cave dies from lack of oxygen, authorities say. — AP
A team of British divers who helped save a junior football team stranded in a flooded cave in Thailand were among those awarded in Britain's traditional New Year Honours as announced.
The seven underwater specialists involved in the remarkable rescue were joined on the prestigious annual achievement list by Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan and former supermodel Lesley Lawson, better known as Twiggy. — AFP
Nine Australians involved in rescuing 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in Thailand receive bravery medals for putting their lives in danger during the treacherous ordeal.
Anesthetist Richard Harris and his dive buddy Craig Challen, a retired veterinarian, receive the Star of Courage, the second highest civilian bravery decoration in the Australian honors system after the Cross of Valor, Governor-General Peter Cosgrave said in a statement.
Six police and a navy diver receive the lesser Bravery Medal. — AP
The youth soccer teammates rescued after 18 days trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand are expected to be released from the hospital and to speak about their ordeal.
A news conference with the 12 boys and their coach is being arranged for the evening in the northern city of Chiang Rai, where the boys have been recovering in a hospital since last week. A conference hall that is being prepared as the venue for the news conference was decorated as a soccer field. — AP
The 12 boys and their soccer coach are recovering well and in a brief new video list their food wish lists while the health minister says they're expected to be discharged next week.
Video messages of the boys from a Saturday news conference show them still wearing surgical masks, a safeguard against infection since the last of them was pulled from a cave on Tuesday after being trapped for almost three weeks.
Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsattayatorn says all 13 are set to leave the hospital next Thursday. Doctors say they will still need to be closely monitored for physical and psychological effects of their ordeal. — AP
The Thai hospital where the 12 boys and their soccer coach are recuperating after being rescued from a flooded cave has released video showing them in their hospital beds, chatting with nurses and making two-finger victory signs.
The video shows the boys in an isolation ward in beds with crisp white sheets and wearing green surgical masks.
Some of their parents are seen crying and waving to them from behind glass. — AP
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