The final four young soccer players and their coach were pulled from the flooded cave in Thailand on Tuesday, ending the epic rescue mission that gripped the world for weeks, officials said.
The members of the Wild Boars soccer team came out of the Tham Luang cave complex in quick succession and received medical attention at the scene, a Thai navy official told CNN. In total, 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach were rescued by the end of their 18-day ordeal since divers entered the labyrinthine system Sunday. Four were removed Sunday and an additional four emerged Monday after making the treacherous journey to freedom. The doctor and three Navy SEALs who have been supporting the boys were still inside, the authorities said on Facebook. Nineteen divers entered the cave at 10 a.m. local time Tuesday (11 p.m. Monday ET), as officials said they planned to bring out the remaining four boys and their coach, as well as four experts who have been by their sides since they were discovered.“I hope all four kids … the coach, and the doctor and three SEALs will be all out today,” former Chiang Rai governor and rescue mission chief Narongsak Osatanakorn told reporters Tuesday. Tuesday’s operation was expected to take longer than the two previous ones because of the larger number of people still inside the cave, according to the Facebook page of the Royal Thai Navy SEALs.“The 9th Wild Boar was out of the cave at 4:06 pm. Hooyah!” the SEALs wrote on Facebook before two additional boys were rescued. The teammates, ages 12 to 16, and their coach were exploring the caves June 23 when they became trapped inside by heavy seasonal rains. Meanwhile, more details have emerged about the children who have been freed from the cave. All eight boys rescued on the first two days are being treated in an isolation ward in a Chiang Rai hospital. Medical officials said they’re healthy, mentally fit and “seem to be in high spirits.”Health Ministry official Dr Jedsada Chokedamrongsook said the first group of boys removed Sunday were ages 14 to 16. Their body temperatures were very low and two are suspected of having lung inflammation. Families of the first four have been able to see them through a glass window, Chokedamrongsook said. They also were able to chat on the phone. The relatives will be allowed to enter the room if tests show the boys are free of infection. The second group freed Monday were ages 12 to 14. One had a very slow heartbeat but reacted well to treatment, Chokedamrongsook said. Authorities will likely look for signs of histoplasmosis, also known as “cave disease,” a potentially fatal lung infection caused by inhaling spores of a fungus often found in bird and bat droppings.
The members of the Wild Boars soccer team came out of the Tham Luang cave complex in quick succession and received medical attention at the scene, a Thai navy official told CNN. In total, 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach were rescued by the end of their 18-day ordeal since divers entered the labyrinthine system Sunday. Four were removed Sunday and an additional four emerged Monday after making the treacherous journey to freedom. The doctor and three Navy SEALs who have been supporting the boys were still inside, the authorities said on Facebook. Nineteen divers entered the cave at 10 a.m. local time Tuesday (11 p.m. Monday ET), as officials said they planned to bring out the remaining four boys and their coach, as well as four experts who have been by their sides since they were discovered.“I hope all four kids … the coach, and the doctor and three SEALs will be all out today,” former Chiang Rai governor and rescue mission chief Narongsak Osatanakorn told reporters Tuesday. Tuesday’s operation was expected to take longer than the two previous ones because of the larger number of people still inside the cave, according to the Facebook page of the Royal Thai Navy SEALs.“The 9th Wild Boar was out of the cave at 4:06 pm. Hooyah!” the SEALs wrote on Facebook before two additional boys were rescued. The teammates, ages 12 to 16, and their coach were exploring the caves June 23 when they became trapped inside by heavy seasonal rains. Meanwhile, more details have emerged about the children who have been freed from the cave. All eight boys rescued on the first two days are being treated in an isolation ward in a Chiang Rai hospital. Medical officials said they’re healthy, mentally fit and “seem to be in high spirits.”Health Ministry official Dr Jedsada Chokedamrongsook said the first group of boys removed Sunday were ages 14 to 16. Their body temperatures were very low and two are suspected of having lung inflammation. Families of the first four have been able to see them through a glass window, Chokedamrongsook said. They also were able to chat on the phone. The relatives will be allowed to enter the room if tests show the boys are free of infection. The second group freed Monday were ages 12 to 14. One had a very slow heartbeat but reacted well to treatment, Chokedamrongsook said. Authorities will likely look for signs of histoplasmosis, also known as “cave disease,” a potentially fatal lung infection caused by inhaling spores of a fungus often found in bird and bat droppings.