Two boys from a group of 12 children who have been trapped inside a cave in northern Thailand for more than two weeks have been freed, the Guardian has confirmed.
“Two kids are out. They are currently at the field hospital near the cave,” said Tossathep Boonthong, the chief of Chiang Rai’s health department and part of the rescue team, told Reuters.
“We are giving them a physical examination. They have not been moved to Chiang Rai hospital yet,” Tossathep said.
Sources at the site confirmed the reports to the Guardian and said two ambulances had left the cave site with their sirens blaring by 7pm local time.
The extraction of the two boys occurred more than two hours earlier than the most optimistic deadline set by rescue authorities earlier on Sunday morning.
The identity of the two boys is unknown or if any more are following soon. The two boys will be taken by ambulance or helicopter to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh hospital, about 50 miles away.
Rain on Saturday evening and throughout Sunday was thought to be the catalyst for starting the rescue operation but appears not to have halted or significantly slowed its progress.
The extraction began at 10am on Sunday morning when 10 divers from an international team started making the 3.2km journey to the muddy slope where the boys have been sheltering.
They were joined by three more divers on Sunday afternoon and a team of rescue workers helping to run a rope system in more difficult stretches of the cave, as well as five Thai navy Seals.
Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the rescue, said Sunday morning was the most opportune time to launch the operation, citing the perfect weather, water and the kids’ readiness, physical and mental”.
“Today we are most ready,” Osatanakorn said. “Today is D-Day,” he said.
