4 more boys emerge from flooded Thailand cave; coach, 4 others still await rescue

MAE SAI, Thailand — Four more boys trapped for more than two weeks in a partially flooded cave here were brought out Monday, raising to eight the number of youths rescued but still leaving four young soccer players and their coach awaiting freedom.

An aide to the Thai Navy SEALs commander confirmed that four boys were brought out Monday but did not address their health status. Authorities said the four brought out Sunday were in good condition.

Twelve boys, ages 11-17, and their 25-year-old coach hiked more than 2 miles into the labyrinth June 23, prompting a desperate search. They were found a week ago, but the heavy rains that flooded parts of the twisting array of tunnels have made their rescue a hazardous task.

The rescue was put on hold Sunday night to allow rescuers to restock the cave with oxygen tanks. The effort cranked up again Monday morning local time, which was Sunday night in the U.S.

“All conditions are still as good as they were yesterday,” Chiang Rai Gov. Narongsak Osottanakorn told reporters as rescue efforts began Monday. “Today we are ready like before. And we will do it faster because we are afraid of the rain.”

The team hiked in after a soccer practice before heavy rains flooded parts of the cave, blocking their path out. Divers found the boys a week ago.

More than 90 rescue workers from around the world have been laboring in and around the dark, twisting cave, with massive pumps being used to lower water levels. It is monsoon season here, and sporadic heavy rainfalls have added to the difficulties.

A SEAL involved in preparations for the rescue passed out and died Friday, a sobering reminder of the mission's dangers.

Only parts of the cave are flooded, but most of the boys can't swim. They have been outfitted with scuba face masks and are breathing from oxygen tanks. Two divers guide each of them through sections of the cave that are underwater.

The first boy emerged at 5:40 p.m. local time Sunday, less than eight hours after the rescue operation started. Three more boys came out of the cave over the next two hours.

"We were faster than we expected," the governor said.

Those judged to be in the best condition were extracted first. The kids were placed in ambulances and given medical assessments before being shuttled, some via helicopters, to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh hospital, more than 30 miles away.

Residents of the nearby town of Mae Sai, directly on the border with Myanmar about 7 miles away from the cave entrance, are following the saga of the boys’ disappearance and rescue efforts intently.

“We are talking about it all the time,” said hotel worker Napattra Chokumpompan, 21.

“I watch the news on my phone, my mom is watching on TV,” said Chokumpompan, who graduated from the same school that six of the boys attend, Mae Si Prasitsart School. “They are all of our students, all of our friends, all of our children."

Bacon reported from McLean, Va. Contributing: The Associated Press

Cox Media Group