13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

[fountainhall]

I have seen many diagrams of the difficulties the divers and the boys face in exiting the cave system. None has driven these home to me as much as this one from the front page of today’s Bangkok Post.

[fountainhall]

A lovely photo from The Guardian's live feed. It shows a sign prepared by students at the Mae Sai Prasitsart School attended by six of the boys.

Christoph Sator, a reporter with Deutsche Presse-Agentur, took this photograph of a sign at the school, which features a photograph of the boys trapped in the cave and quotes from their initial conversation with British divers, as well as the . . . line: “You never know when you will need your English”

[Gaybutton]

it was said earlier that the weakest came out first.

Yes, it was indeed the coach. He probably was the weakest one there. It also makes sense to me, since he was the biggest it would seem if he could make it through with no serious problems, then obviously it would be easier for the much smaller boys.

There was also a report that one of the boys rescued was in serious medical condition. Although they didn't say who, my guess is it was the coach. The news reports said, whoever it actually was, is doing much better this morning.

[Gaybutton]

None has driven these home to me as much as this one from the front page of today’s Bangkok Post.

To me, also very difficult, is the lead diver who is not only wearing his own air tank, but carrying the boy's as well.

I happen to be an experienced scuba diver myself. Having lived in Florida most of my life I have dived a great many times, definitely well over 2000 times, and I can tell you those tanks are very heavy, even in water. And most of my diving was coral reef diving, meaning salt water is much more buoyant than fresh water, making the tanks feel much lighter than they feel in fresh water.

Just how the lead diver is managing it, especially given the circumstances and the length of the trek, is absolutely astounding.

[Captain Swing]

Just how the lead diver is managing it, especially given the circumstances and the length of the trek, is absolutely astounding.

Astounding indeed. Unimaginably difficult. A British (I think) cave-rescue expert said this situation was far and away the most difficult he'd ever heard of. He, or another, said it was worse than the worst horror movie anyone could come up with. Unless the water situation gets worse though, at least the divers know that the plan does work. Since the first four got out successfully they should have increased confidence on the future rescue attempts. The boys, too, if they've been told that the first four got out successfully, should be able to set out on their attempts with slightly less trepidation. The diagram also points out that their small size should be an advantage. And the boys are, in effect, retracing their steps; they have been through those passages before. Not underwater, of course, but they do have some idea of what's ahead of them, rather than facing the complete unknown.

[fountainhall]

A helicopter recently landed at the rescue site near the cave entrance and an ambulance was soon seen driving towards it. No information on what that means. The really unfortunate news this morning is that it is now raining very heavily - and has been intermittently since last night. I wonder what that means for water levels and water currents within the cave system. We wait and hope..

[thewayhelooks]

From a mid Monday afternoon press conference via The Guardian.

• The rescue operation to extract more boys began on Monday at 11am (5am BST). The same divers who went in on Sunday have been called upon again, but there are no reports on their progress.

• Officials said that conditions were as good as they were on Sunday, when the first four boys were extracted. They said that the rain yesterday did not affect water levels inside the cave.

• Officials suggested that the stronger boys would be rescued first and that they could emerge between 7.30pm and 8.30pm local time.

• Authorities complained about some of yesterday’s media coverage, saying a drone was flown above the operation. They also claimed media outlets listened to police radio reports.

• Consideration is also being made about whether parents should be allowed to see the boys who have already been rescued, potentially through a glass door. There must be no physical contact with the boys until the results of blood tests come back. The four boys in hospital are asking to eat pad kra pao (Thai basil chicken).


I have read and I hope I'm wrong, that the parents have not been told which boys were rescued yesterday. If true, that seems very cruel.

[Gaybutton]

I have read and I hope I'm wrong, that the parents have not been told which boys were rescued yesterday. If true, that seems very cruel.

I would agree if the parents were not told ahead of time this would be the case and they understood and agreed to the necessity of doing it this way, although I don't understand, at least not yet, why it is being done this way. I can't imagine why whoever makes these decisions would want to treat the parents with some sort of cruelty.

Speaking only for myself, I don't feel I am competent or in any kind of position to second guess any part of this or dispute why any of it is being done the way it is being done.


Live streaming:

[fountainhall]

I can only surmise that knowing which boys had been rescued would considerably heighten the stress and worry of the parents of those boys still in the cave. I suspect - but it’s only a guess - that all the parents will have been told and will surely have agreed, no matter how difficult this will have been. I believe they have been kept informed about every decision since the boys were found. This one will have been very difficult. Hopefully they are facing events as a team, just as their boys are a team.

[fountainhall]

Two more boys out of the cave in the last hour! Wonderful news.