A Myanmar rescue team on Thursday joined the search for 12 missing Thai youth footballers and their coach, who are trapped inside Tham Luang Cave in Chiang Rai near the border between Myanmar and Mae Sai district, The Irrawaddy of Myanmar reported.
The team is participating in the operation at the request of the Thai government, it said.
Thai authorities requested the assistance because exits from the cave are believed to be located on the Myanmar side of the border, in Shan State’s Tachileik District.
The Irrawaddy also reported that the Myanmar President’s Office announced today that it had ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Shan State government to cooperate fully with Thai authorities in searching for the group.
“Thai authorities said they have heard there are exits on the Myanmar side as well, and asked them to check whether the missing people were in the area. The search is now under way,” said U Tun, Thai-Myanmar liaison officer at the Tachileik District Administration Office.
The Myanmar rescue team comprises local officials and workers from the Fire Department, Red Cross and various charities. They have begun the search in a cave that is believed to be connected to Tham Luang Cave, where the group of 13 has been missing for six days.