Rescuers arrive near the cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand on July 8, 2018. AP
MAE SAI, Thailand — A Thai army commander says the ongoing rescue of 12 boys and their coach could take 2-4 days depending on conditions inside the partially flooded cave.
According to Maj. Gen. Chalongchai Chaiyakam, the 13 “will continuously come out in approximately 2-4 days, which all may change depending on weather and water conditions.”
The governor in charge of the operation says two divers will accompany each boy as they are gradually extracted. The operation began at 10 a.m. and he said it would take at least 11 hours for the first person to be rescued.
The Thai official in charge of the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach says they’re physically ready and mentally determined for their extraction now underway from a partially flooded cave.
Chiang Rai acting Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn says 13 ambulances and helicopters in two separate locations are ready to transport them to hospitals.
The first is expected to reach safety at 9 p.m. Sunday (10 a.m. ET) at the earliest.
Narongsak says the rescue mission was launched because floodwaters inside the cave are at their most optimal level.
He says: “If we keep on waiting and the rains come in the next three or four days, our readiness will decrease.”
He also says the families of the boys have been informed about the risky mission. /ee
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