When 12 missing Thai boys and their football coach were found alive deep in a cave system on Monday, joy was tempered with anxiety.
The caves are flooded with surging monsoon waters, pitch black and in places too narrow to allow rescuers to pass while carrying scuba gear. None of the boys can swim or dive. The dilemma: risk a highly dangerous escape or wait possibly months for the waters to subside.
1 The main entrance to the six-mile cave, one of Thailand’s longest, in the Doi Nang Non mountain range. Bicycles and football kit were found after a mother reported her son missing on 23 June. The Moo Pa (Wild Boars) academy team had cycled there with their coach after a training session. A sign outside warns against entering the cave during the rainy season.
2 A chamber around 700 metres into the complex is where rescuers, led by Thai navy Seals, are basing operations. Early rescue efforts were hampered by the rising floodwater, which is believed to have forced the boys further inside the network of narrow caverns and passageways.
3 Monk’s Junction, 1,500 metres from the entrance, was reached on Sunday. Changing weather conditions and round-the-clock pumping helped reduce water levels and improve visibility, allowing divers to fix guide ropes along the passageway.
4 A landmark area of higher ground known as Pattaya Beach was where rescuers first hoped the team would be found. But when they reached it, rescuers found the ‘beach’ was also flooded.
5 The boys were eventually located around 200 metres further on, sheltering on a ledge surrounded by water, 2km (1.24 miles) from the main entrance and up to 1km below the surface. After their discovery by two specialist cave divers from the UK, the Wild Boars were visited by medics and other rescuers who supplied food and water.
Authorities are now deciding whether to attempt a rescue this week. With further monsoon rains forecast, another deluge risks stranding the group for months. Any evacuation using diving apparatus is fraught with danger and complexity because the boys will need to be guided through narrow, flooded passages.
