Tham Luang cave rescue

Tham Luang cave rescue

Rescue personnel and equipment at the cave entrance
Date	23 June – 10 July 2018 (18 days)
Location	Tham Luang Nang Non cave, Mae Sai, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand
Coordinates	20°22′54″N 99°52′06″E
Type	Cave rescue
Cause	Monsoon flooding
Outcome	Group found alive on 2 July; all rescued between 8 and 10 July 2018.
Deaths	Saman Kunan (rescue diver)
Non-fatal injuries	Minor scrapes and cuts, mild rashes, lung inflammation
Tham Luang Nang Non Chiang Rai Bangkok Location within Thailand

The Tham Luang cave rescue, also referred to as the Thai cave rescue, was an international rescue effort for members of a junior football team trapped in a cave in the Chiang Rai Province of Thailand. Twelve members of the team, aged 11 to 17, and their 25-year-old assistant coach entered the Tham Luang Nang Non cave on 23 June 2018. Shortly after, heavy rains partially flooded the cave, blocking the exit and forcing the group deeper into the cave.

Efforts to locate the group were hampered by rising water levels and strong currents, and no contact was made for more than a week. The rescue effort expanded into a massive operation amid intense worldwide media coverage and public interest. On 2 July, after advancing through narrow passages and muddy waters, two British divers found the group alive on an elevated rock about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the cave mouth. Rescue organisers discussed various options for extracting the group: whether to teach them basic diving skills to enable their early rescue, wait until a new entrance was found or drilled, or wait for the floodwaters to subside at the end of the monsoon season months later. After days of pumping water from the cave system and a respite from rain, the rescue teams hastened to get everyone out before the next monsoon rain, which was expected to bring a potential 52 mm (2.0 in) of additional rainfall and was predicted to start around 11 July.

Between 8 and 10 July, all of the boys and their coach were rescued from the cave by an international team of rescuers. Ten thousand people participated from multiple countries, including 2,000 soldiers, 200 divers and representatives from 100 government agencies. Saman Kunan, a 38-year-old former Thai SEAL, died of asphyxiation on 5 July while attempting to go through a narrow passageway on his return to the cave entrance after delivering supplies of air to the interior. He was the only person to die in the rescue operation.

Disappearance

Doi Nang Non mountain in Thailand, Asia

Thai news report from NBT news (no subtitles)

Tham Luang Nang Non is a karstic cave complex beneath Doi Nang Non, a mountain range on the border between Thailand and Myanmar. The system is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) long and has many deep recesses, narrow passages and tunnels winding under hundreds of metres of limestone strata. Since part of the cave system is seasonally flooded, a sign advising against entering the caves during the rainy season (July–November) is posted at the entrance.

On 23 June 2018, a group of twelve boys aged between 11 and 17 from a local junior football team named the Wild Boars and their 25-year-old assistant coach, Ekapol Chantawong, went missing after setting out to explore the cave. They planned to have a picnic to celebrate the 17th birthday of one of the boys, Peerapat Sompiangjai. The team was stranded in the tunnels by sudden and continuous rainfall after they had entered the cave.

Around 7 p.m., head coach Nopparat Khanthavong checked his phone, finding about twenty missed calls from parents worried that their children had not come home. Nopparat dialed assistant coach Chantawong to no avail, followed by a number of the boys in quick succession. Eventually he reached Songpol Kanthawong, a 13-year-old member of the team who mentioned he was picked up after practice, and that the rest of the boys had gone exploring in the Tham Luang caves. The coach raced up to the caves finding abandoned bicycles and bags near the entrance, with water seeping out of the muddy pathway. He alerted authorities to the missing group after seeing their unclaimed belongings at the cave entrance.

Search and contact

Rescuers looking for alternative access routes to the cave

The BBC reports "Thailand was fortunate that an experienced caver Vern Unsworth has explored the Tham Luang cave complex extensively, and lives nearby...He was on the scene the day after the boys disappeared, and suggested that the Thai government needed to invite expert divers from other countries to help." Military divers searched the cave. A Thai Navy SEAL diver said the water was so murky that even with lights they could not see where they were going underwater. After continuous rain, which further flooded the cave entrance, the search had to be periodically interrupted. After four days, the Thai Navy SEALs were joined by a group of 30 personnel of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, and by British cave diving rescue experts Richard Stanton, John Volanthen, and Robert Harper, who brought Heyphone LF radios borrowed from the Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation.

Policemen with sniffer dogs searched for shaft openings that could provide alternative entrances to the cave branches below. Drones and robots were also used in the search, but no technology currently exists to scan for people deep underground.

The twelve boys and the coach were discovered, all alive, on 2 July, at approximately 22:00 by Stanton and Volanthen, whose efforts were overseen from outside by Harper. The group was found on a narrow rock shelf about 400 metres (1,300 ft) beyond the "Pattaya Beach" chamber, named after an above-ground beach in Thailand. Volanthen was placing guidelines in the cave to assist others in navigation. He ran out of line, which led him to swim to the surface—there, he found the missing team and its coach. The ledge where they were found is about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the cave mouth. A video of the encounter, showing the boys and their interactions with the divers, was posted on Facebook by the Thai Navy SEALs. In the video, the dazed boys appear to be unaware of how long they have been trapped deep underground, as they ask the divers what day it is. Former Chiang Rai provincial governor Narongsak Osatanakorn, who was in charge of rescue work, said "We found them safe. But the operation isn't over."

Team

Name	Age	Comments
Chanin Vibulrungruang	11
Panumas Sangdee	13
Duganpet Promtep	13	Team captain.
Somepong Jaiwong	13
Mongkol Booneiam	13	Rescued in first mission. Stateless.
Nattawut Takamrong	14	Rescued in first mission.
Ekarat Wongsukchan	14
Adul Sam-on	14	Only English language speaker; communicated with initial rescue party. Stateless.
Prajak Sutham	15	Rescued in first mission.
Pipat Pho	15	Rescued in first mission.
Pornchai Kamluang	16	Stateless.
Peerapat Sompiangjai	17	Boy whose birthday celebration prompted entry into cave.
Ekapol Chantawong	25	Assistant coach and former monk orphaned at 10. Stateless. Last to be rescued.

The assistant coach and three of the boys have no nationality, according to the founder of the Wild Boars team, Nopparat Khanthavong. He explained that they are from tribes in an area that extends across Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and China, where borders have changed and people do not have passports. He said it has been difficult for the boys to travel to games outside Chiang Rai province. "To get nationality is the biggest hope for the boys", he said.

External videos
The first video released by Thai Navy SEALs showing the children and their coach after they were found by British volunteer divers

External images
Map, from above, of the Tham Luang cave system, provided by BBC News
Map, side view, of the Tham Luang cave system, provided by Deutsche Welle

Aid inside

On 3 July, seven divers, including a nurse and a doctor, joined the group inside the caves. Thai officials told reporters that rescuers were providing health checks and treatment, and keeping the boys entertained, adding that none of those trapped was in a serious condition. "They have been fed with easy-to-digest, high-energy food with vitamins and minerals, under the supervision of a doctor," Rear Admiral Apagorn Youkonggaew, head of the Thai Navy's Special Forces, told reporters. A video made by the rescuers, and shared a few hours later by the Thai Navy SEALs, showed all twelve boys and their coach introducing themselves and stating their age. Wrapped in emergency blankets and appearing frail, they all said hello to the outside world. "Sawatdi khrap," each boy says with his palms together in wai, the traditional Thai greeting. A second video shows a medic treating them. It was believed that some of the group could not swim, complicating what would already be a difficult rescue.

The boys and their coach corresponded with relatives and rescuers through letters sent by divers in and out of the cave. Many of the notes professed their safety, reassured the recipients that everything was fine, and included words of love, reassurance and encouragement.

Planning and preparation

As the crisis unfolded, rescuers planned several different methods to save the team and coach. Besides waiting until the end of the monsoon season, other plans included teaching the group basic diving skills, finding other entrances to the cave, or drilling new ones. More than 100 shafts were drilled into the soft limestone, and one shaft was discovered that went down 900 metres. At the outset rescue workers battled rising water levels. Normally, the cave system is flooded in the rainy season, which lasts until September or October.

Surveys showed flooded passages in a portion of the cave that penetrates far into the mountain. The point where the boys became stranded is about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the entrance and 800–1,000 metres (2,600–3,300 ft) below the top of the mountain. The route to them had several flooded sections, some with strong currents and zero visibility, and some parts which are extremely narrow, the narrowest measuring only 38 by 72 centimetres (15 in × 28 in). The journey into the cave took six hours (against the current) and five hours to come out (with the current), even for experienced divers. Panicking during the journey could prove fatal. Teams searched for alternative entrances to the cave system which could allow for an easier escape route. Drilling was used to help drain water and was also considered as a means to open a viable escape path, though no suitable location was found.

Pumps used to drain water from the cave and downstream lakes

Systems were installed for pumping water out of the cave system and for diverting flows that were entering it. In combination with the unusually dry weather for the time of year, those efforts reduced water levels in the cave by 1.5 centimetres (0.6 in) per hour on 5 July, enabling rescue teams to walk 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) into the cave. Heavy rains were expected on 8 July, which might have halted or reversed this process and even threatened to flood the position where the team became trapped. On 4 July, it was reported the pumps were removing an estimated 1,600,000 L/h (420,000 US gal/h) in total.

On 6 July, the oxygen level in the cave was found to have dropped, raising fears that the trapped boys might develop hypoxia if they remained in the cave for a prolonged time period. That same day, an air supply line was installed into the chamber. However, by 8 July, the oxygen levels dropped to 15%; the level needed to maintain normal function of a human is between 19.5% and 23.5%.

Divers

Ninety divers worked in the cave system, forty from Thailand and fifty from other countries. Rescue leaders decided to have the team and coach brought out by experienced divers. Rescuers prepared to teach the group basic diving skills that would be needed for the journey.

Main cave entrance in heavy rain

Diversion dam

A stone diversion dam was built upstream. In combination with pumping, this helped to lower the water level, but required flooding nearby farm fields. For a time, well-meaning volunteers were inadvertently pumping water back into the groundwater supply.

Logistics camp

The rescue camp was located in front of the cave entrance and included hundreds of volunteers and journalists in addition to the rescue workers. The site was divided into several zones: restricted areas for the Thai Navy SEALs, other military personnel, and civilian rescuers, an area for the relatives to give them privacy, and areas for the press and for the general public. It was estimated that 10,000 people participated in the rescue operation.

Death of rescue diver

A 38-year-old security officer at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport and former Thai Navy SEAL petty officer first class, Saman Kunan (Thai: สมาน กุนัน), died of asphyxiation while delivering supplies to the cave on 6 July. He had volunteered to help with the rescue effort and was placing air tanks along the diving route for future missions when he was unable to breathe trying to pass through a narrow underwater passageway during the return trip, and lost consciousness. Kunan was brought to the surface by his dive partner, but attempts to resuscitate him failed. A royal-sponsored funeral in Bangkok was planned in his honour.

Rescue

On the morning of 8 July, officials instructed the media and all non-essential personnel around the cave entrance to clear the area as a rescue operation was imminent due to the threat of monsoon rains later in the week, which were expected to flood the cave until October. The international diving team was led by four British and two Australian divers, among them Richard Harris, an physician specializing in anesthesiology, with extensive diving experience. Eighteen rescue divers were sent into the caves to retrieve the boys using a "buddy system", where two divers would accompany each boy out of the cave, one ahead of him carrying the boy's air tank and one behind.

The boys were either heavily sedated or given anti-anxiety medication—reports vary—to prevent them from panicking on the journey out of the cave. Contrary to early reports, the boys did not swim during their exit from the cave. Each boy was wrapped in a specialised flexible stretcher, which was shepherded by rescuers variously carrying, suspending, swimming, floating and sliding it through the flooded and dry parts of the passage. The boys were each equipped with a full face mask, and they were fully submerged for up to 40 minutes at a time in "bone chilling temperatures."

The authorities warned that extracting everyone would take several days, because crews had to replace air tanks, gear, and other supplies, requiring ten to twenty hours between each run.

Shortly after 19:00, local officials said that two boys had been rescued from the cave and taken to Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital. Shortly after, two more boys exited the cave and were assessed by medical officials nearby. Low water levels had reduced the time required for the rescues. The lower water was due to improved weather and construction of a weir outside the cave to help control the water.

On 10 July, all twelve boys and their coach were reported to have been rescued. Just hours after the last boy had been retrieved, the main water pump failed. This resulted in the water levels beginning to rise again, with close to 100 rescuers still located 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) inside the cave packing up the rescue equipment. The remaining rescuers managed to rush to the exit in under an hour.

A number of news outlets reported on the role coach Ekapol had played during the rescue efforts. The coach had previously been a Buddhist monk, and had guided meditation for the children during the ordeal. He also had passed on a message in which he apologised for bringing the children into danger.

Recovery

Thai authorities said the rescued boys were able to eat rice porridge, but more complex foods would be withheld for ten days. The Thai Health Ministry said the boys each lost an average of 2 kilograms (4.4 lb) (0.5 stone), but were in "good condition". The boys were quarantined while health workers determined whether they had caught any infectious diseases in the cave, and were expected to remain hospitalised for at least a week. Due to the prolonged stay in the damp cave environment, officials were worried about potential infections such as histoplasmosis or leptospirosis. Officials said the parents of the team visited through a window, but if laboratory results prove negative, the parents may visit in person while wearing a medical gown, face mask and hair cap.

The boys wore sunglasses as a precaution while their eyes adjusted to daylight. They all were to undergo detailed testing of their eyes, nutrition, mental health and blood. A Health Ministry physician said all the boys showed an increase in white blood cells, so preventive antibiotic doses were given to the entire team.

Responses

Local

Residents of Chiang Rai province volunteered to cook, clean for, and otherwise support the missing team's families and the rescue teams at the encampment by the cave mouth. Social media were used to draw attention to the rescue attempts. Classmates and teachers of the team spent time chanting and praying for the missing boys. Local schools donated money to help the parents with living costs, as many of them stopped working in order to be able to follow the rescue attempts. On 29 June, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha visited the search site and told the families of the boys not to give up hope.

Some criticised the boys and, in particular, assistant coach Ekapol Chantawong, for "carelessness" by venturing deep into the cave despite a large warning sign at the entrance. A police chief told the newspaper Khao Sod that he "hadn't ruled out" pressing negligence charges against the coach for putting the team in danger. A number of lawyers stated that the coach would probably not face criminal charges, since Thai law also takes into consideration whether a person has malicious intent. The coach was reported to have treated the boys with care, giving them his food, helping them remain calm, and instructing them to drink water dripping from the cave walls, which is relatively clean, instead of the murky floodwaters that trapped them. The team's head coach, Naparat Guntawong, said he would not have approved of the cave hike, but was confident in Chantawong's ability to take care of the boys. Prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that the emphasis should be on the rescue and the recovery of the team, and he asked the public to avoid a rush to judgment.

Following the death of Saman Kunan, King Rama X announced that he would sponsor Kunan's funeral.

International

• Australia: A 20 person contingent included federal police divers, foreign affairs crisis officers and defence forces to assist the evacuation of the boys, provide equipment and perform support roles in Chamber 3. Richard Harris, a South Australian anaesthetist and diver, was part of the medical team that determined the boys' fitness to make the arduous 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) journey.

• Belgium: Ben Reymenants, the owner of a diving school in Phuket, contributed in cave diving capacity.

• Canada: Erik Brown, a dive instructor from Vancouver, participated on the cave diving team.

• China: A six-man team of cave rescue experts arrived in Thailand on 29 June. The team brought rescue equipment including an underwater robot, diving equipment and a three-dimensional imager. Additional teams from The Peaceland Foundation and China Greenboat also came to aid in the effort.

• Czech Republic: Government of the Czech Republic offered to provide a Czech manufacturer's high performance pumps; the state has four such pumps, each with an output of 400 litres per second (1,440,000 l/h (380,000 US gal/h)).

• Denmark: Two Danish divers, Ivan Karadzic who runs a diving center with Finnish Mikko Paasi, and Claus Rasmussen, a diving instructor, participated in the cave diving team.

• Finland: Diver Mikko Paasi came to assist with rescue efforts.

• India: Experts from Kirlosker Brothers' Limited's (KBL) offered technical know-how and advice on dewatering and pumps.

• Israel: Diver Rafael Aroush joined the diving team while emergency mobile communication devices were donated by Maxtech NetWorks.

• Japan: Divers and engineers, including Shigeki Miyake, a drainage specialist of the Japan International Cooperation Agency in Thailand, assisted in efforts to pump water out of the cave.

• Laos: Members of the Vientiane Rescue contributed to search and rescue efforts.

• Netherlands: Drainage specialists were sent to aid water pumping efforts.

• Russia: Ministry of Emergency Situations sent a volunteer team including a rescue specialist.

• United Kingdom: The British Cave Rescue Council sent eight experienced cave rescue divers, familiar with caves in Thailand, who led the diving team; three cave rescue personnel; and special equipment. Vernon Unsworth was the first cave diver on the site. John Volanthen and Rick Stanton discovered the boys and led the cave diving team. Chris Jewell and Jason Mallison brought 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) of diving equipment. Other divers included Connor Roe, Josh Bratchley, Jim Warny, Mike Clayton, Gary Mitchell, and Tim Acton. The cave rescue personnel, including Robert Harper, provided surface control for the divers.

• United States: On 28 June, the U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific Command (USPACOM) deployed 36 personnel from Okinawa, including airmen from 353rd Special Operations Group and the 31st Rescue Squadron. According to Military.com, they joined seven other personnel, including a member of Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group Thailand. Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said that U.S. personnel had “staged equipment and prepared the first three chambers of the cave system for safe passage. [The US contingent] assisted in transporting the evacuees through the final chambers of the cave system, and provided medical personnel and other technical assistance to the rescue efforts.

Volunteers, teams and technical specialists from countries including Germany, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine, also participated in the operation. France offered to send a team of specialists and equipment, but Thai authorities believed that adequate resources were already on site.

Elon Musk announced via Twitter that he had ordered his engineers to design a "kid-sized" submarine to assist the rescue effort, and tweeted every step of the process. Additionally, a California-based inflatable boat manufacturer answered Musk's call for help by building inflatable escape pods. The pods were designed, fabricated, and tested in one day, then flown to Thailand. Musk's company, SpaceX, built a mini-submarine out of a Falcon 9 liquid oxygen transfer tube. Musk flew to Thailand to deliver it, but having already rescued eight of the twelve children, the Thai authorities declined to use the submarine, saying that despite its technological sophistication, they considered it "impractical" for the rescue mission.

The ordeal captured the media's attention from around the world. Over a period of three weeks, articles relating to the incident dominated the top stories section at many major news publications.

FIFA, via a letter from its president Gianni Infantino to the president of the Football Association of Thailand, invited the children and coach trapped in the cave to the World Cup final if circumstances allowed. The entire team is expected to remain hospitalised for at least a week, and watch the final on television instead.

Manchester United F.C. issued an invitation to the team and their rescuers to attend a match at Old Trafford next season. FC Barcelona invited the team to play in their international academy tournament in 2019, and to watch a first-team game at their home stadium Nou Camp. England and Manchester City F.C. defender Kyle Walker, said he wanted to send them shirts, after spotting that one of the rescued boys was wearing a "Three Lions" jersey.

Timeline

23 June: The team entered the Tham Luang cave shortly after practice and prior to heavy rain. Later, the mother of one of the boys reported to local police that her son was missing after he failed to arrive home. Local police investigated and found shoes and bicycles near the entrance of the cave.

24 June: Handprints and footprints of the boys were found by officials. A vigil is held outside of the cave by relatives.

25 June: Thai Navy SEAL divers enter the cave to search for the team.

26 June: Having arrived at a T-junction, divers were pushed back due to floodwaters. The floodwaters blocked an elevated air pocket near Pattaya Beach, where divers believe the team may have been stranded.

27 June: British and a U.S. military team of divers and experts were sent to Thailand to help with the search. Divers re-entered but quickly retreated due to another flooding.

28 June: Heavy rains caused the rescue operation to stop temporarily. In order to drain the water, pumps were delivered. Drones were dispatched to assist more than 600 people in search of new vents in the cave roof.

29 June: Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha visited the site.

30 June: The search resumed after divers took advantage of a brief pause in the rainfall. They advanced further, but still were far from where they believed the boys might be stranded.

1 July: As divers went deeper into the cave, they established a temporary operating base in which diving cylinders and other supplies were set up.

2 July: The team were found alive in the evening by the British diving team, 400 m (1,300 ft) further than Pattaya Beach. around 20:20.

3 July: Seven divers, including a doctor and a nurse, joined the team in the cave. Food and medical supplies, including high calorie gels and paracetamol, were supplied to the boys.

4 July: The team were taught how to use a full face diving mask and breathing apparatus as rescue teams worked on pumping water from the cave.

5 July: The rescue was forced to move quicker due to expected rain. Another group searched the mountains for any new cracks or openings.

6 July: Saman Kunan, a former Thai navy diver and volunteer of the rescue mission, died between 01:00 to 02:00 while placing diving cylinders underwater along the route to the stranded boys. Authorities urged that the rescue happen more quickly, due to low oxygen levels.

7 July: The rescue chief claimed that it was not suitable for the team to dive yet. More than 100 vents were being drilled in an attempt to reach the team. A letter appeared from the coach of the team, apologising to the boys' parents.

8 July: Eighteen international divers, led by four British and two Australian divers, and five Thai military SEALs divers went into the cave to begin bringing the boys to safety. The first boy was reported to have come out at around 17:40, and the fourth one was reported to have come out at around 19:50, though not all sources agree. The four boys were taken to a nearby hospital. It was announced that divers would not resume the rescue for at least another 10 hours, as they needed to replenish supplies.

9 July: Four more boys were confirmed to be out of the cave and then taken to the hospital. It was also announced that the boys would be kept in quarantine.

10 July: The remaining four boys and their coach were rescued. It was later confirmed that all of the rescue divers had also successfully exited from the cave.

13 July: The remaining British Cave Rescue Council team landed at London Heathrow and gave a press conference.

Legacy

The head of the rescue mission and former governor of Chiang Rai province, Narongsak Osottanakorn, said that the cave system would be turned into a living museum to highlight how the operation unfolded. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha acknowledged the statement but highlighted the concerns for tourist safety, stating that precautions would have to be added and correctly implemented both inside and outside to safeguard tourists.

Following the incident, Thailand's Navy SEALs will include cave-diving in its training regimen to be better prepared for similar emergencies.

The event has also drawn media attention to the issue of statelessness. Officials confirmed that three of the boys and their coach will be granted full Thai citizenship. The Thai government has vowed to end statelessness by 2024.

Possible film

On 10 July, a managing partner of U.S. movie production company Pure Flix announced that the firm was planning to create a feature film based on the rescue, with potential for worldwide release. Ivanhoe Pictures of SK Global Entertainment also expressed interest in a separate project, with Jon Chu slated as the director.

See also

• Jessica McClure rescue (1987)
• Beaconsfield Mine collapse (2006)
• Copiapó mining accident (2010)
• Riesending cave rescue (2014)

External links

• Thai cave rescue – Ex-Navy SEAL interview (04:18; 4 July 2018; CNN-News) on YouTube