Survivors get diving lessons
July 06, 2018
By THE NATION
As water levels recede, rescuers inclined to evacuate stranded 13 before rains aggravate floods.
Rescue teams plan to take a risk, if manageable, in escorting 13 survivors out of the flooded Tham Luang cave as they believe staying inside longer may prove even riskier in the rainy season.
Although four rescue options have been discussed, it is now quite clear that decision-makers will go with the option of evacuating the 12 boys and their football coach through a 5km stretch that will require both diving and trekking. For each of them, this journey could take many hours. Even with all their training, it takes the Royal Thai Navy SEALs about five hours to move from Noen Nom Sao to the third chamber of the cave.
Noen Nom Sao is where the 13 members of the Mu Pa Academy Mae Sai, a local football team, have been stranded since June 23. The third chamber, which now serves as the forward command for rescue operations, is about a few kilometres from the mouth of the cave.
The diving-and-trekking evacuation is considered dangerous, given that the 13 trapped victims have had no swimming or diving experience, but this method is considered the quickest way to evacuate them.
“Our major concern is the weather because, despite our best efforts to drain the water, we cannot beat the rising floodwater level if there’s heavy rain,” Narongsak Osotanakorn said yesterday in his capacity as the chief of the rescue operations.
Flash floods hit the Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai province on June 23, leaving the 12 footballers aged 11 to 16 and their coach stranded inside.
Narongsak has since headed the rescue operations, which involve more than 1,000 officials and volunteers.
Experts from many countries have also helped in the life-saving mission, which has become big news across the world.
“The SEALs are able to go back and forth and the stranded children are at a safe location, but a higher water level would make the rescue operation even harder,” he explained.
In the absence of heavy rain, powerful pumps have significantly lowered the floodwater level inside the cave this week.
For the first time since rescue operations started, it was possible yesterday for rescue teams to walk into the third chamber of the cave without the need to dive at all. The first two-km stretch of the cave, from its mouth, is now flooded with no more than knee-deep water.
The third chamber functions as the forward command for the rescue efforts. It stores oxygen tanks, goods, necessary supplies and communication devices.
The lower the water level, the greater the prospects of evacuating the trapped boys and their coach through the main entrance of the cave.
As rescue planners work hard on draining out the floodwater, the SEALs are familiarising the 13 survivors with diving gear and skills that will help them during their evacuation.
“We have not yet decided when they will be evacuated,” Narongsak said. “We need to consider several factors including weather conditions.”
He said it would be best for them to move out when floodwater levels hit the lowest possible.
“But we also need to consider their physical condition. Medics will decide on that. Physical rehabilitation is now going on at Noen Nom Sao,” he said.
According to him, 13 sets of diving gears and escort teams have already been prepared.
“If physical examination shows the survivors may not be 100 per cent ready but all risks involved are within manageable levels, we will go ahead with the evacuation immediately,” Narongsak said. “Doctors and SEALs will make the evaluation.”
Diving experts have said that it will be really hard for the trapped boys and their coach to make the journey by diving through cold and muddy waters.
Rescue planners, however, have assured that there will be two SEALs escorting each of the survivors.
Rod lines and oxygen tanks have already been installed at the diving sections too.
Narongsak said at the same time, many rescue teams continued to explore areas above the Tham Luang in the hope of finding a better way to evacuate the 13 survivors.
Three other possible options to evacuate the 13 survivors are: to drill into the cave and get them out; to find a natural shaft that can connect to the cave naturally or with a drilling solution; and to have the 13 survivors stay inside the cave with necessary supplies until the rainy season ends.
All three options carry some risks. Therefore, rescue planners have decided to try to teach the 13 survivors how to swim and dive so that they can brave their way out.
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Many worry that coach may blame himself for ordeal
By Marisa Chimprabha
THE NATION
July 06, 2018
The assistant coach of Mu Pa Academy, Ekkapon Chantawongse, 25, is the eldest of the 13 footballers who have been trapped in the Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai since June 23.
The team members were found safe after spending 10 days in the heavily flooded cave after marathon rescue efforts. Authorities are still considering the best and safest way to rescue them.
Some netizens blamed “Coach Ek”, saying he has to take responsibility for the incident as he was the eldest of the group who should have prevented the group from entering the cave. He took the boys inside the cave despite there being a warning sign in front of the entrance.
However, some netizens argued that it was the sudden flash floods that had led to the group getting trapped, forcing them to retreat deeper into the cave.
The warning sign in front of the cave cautioned visitors against entering the cave during the rainy season from July to November. The team went in on June 23. It was not their first visit.
Despite differences of opinion, most people now see the coach as the main reason why the boys survived the ordeal.
It has been revealed that he advised the boys to use flashlights one at a time to make sure they had a light source for as long as possible.
He taught them to drink clean water that seeped through the roof of the cave, not the floodwater, after they had run out of drinking water. He also told the boys not to move a lot, and asked them to meditate to save as much energy as possible.
These were experiences he had reportedly gained during his monkhood when he stayed in caves.
There is concern that Ekkapon may experience severe guilt pangs and will blame himself for the ordeal and see himself as the cause of the multinational rescue operation.
During the video clip of the first sighting of the missing boys, Ekkapon apparently hid himself in the back, as he was not seen. The second video clip of the group that shot each member one by one showed him looking considerably weaker when compared with his previous photos.
That has raised concerns that the coach might be suffering from feelings of guilt.
However, the boys’ parents, who are waiting to see their children come out of the cave, told media that they did not blame the coach for the incident.
A mother said, “Coach Ek, you should not blame yourself for what happened. We all know that you are kind and always have the good heart to help our children.”
Another mother said in tears that her boy had survived this ordeal because of the coach. “I was worried that my boy was missing. What comforted me was that coach Ek is with him.”
Thawatchai Thaikhiew, the deputy permanent secretary for Justice, said he was worried that the coach may consider it his fault and may not forgive himself. This could lead to depression.
“I ask all Thai people to send him moral support for our hero coach Ek. If anyone meets him, please tell him that he is the one whom I would love and hug the most,” he said in his Facebook post.
From a video clip shot during the first encounter between British divers and the missing group, people could see the boys’ surprisingly good spirits although they appeared to be exhausted.
Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotanakorn earlier said that the boys were stronger than expected.
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