A Daring Rescue

The ordeal began on June 23, when the Wild Boars soccer team went exploring in the Tham Luang cave system after practice. They had hiked about 2 miles into the underground cave when a monsoon struck. The storm’s heavy rains quickly flooded many of the cave’s passageways, cutting off the team’s exit route. There was no way out.

The team scrambled to safety on a ledge inside the cave. They watched the murky waters rise—and hoped that help would arrive soon.

A few hours after the team entered the cave, searchers found their bikes and soccer cleats near the entrance. Officials realized that the team was probably trapped inside. But locating the athletes would not be easy.  

Divers from the Thai Navy and other rescue groups began frantically searching. Soon, other countries, including the United States, sent more teams in to help. Specially trained divers searched the vast cave system while others pumped water out of the cave.

Two British divers finally located the soccer team 10 days after they had disappeared. After days with no food and only tiny sips of water from the walls of the cave, the team members were weak and hungry.

Officials were not sure how to get the team out of the cave safely. Waiting for the floodwaters to go down was one option, but that could take months. And there were more monsoons in the forecast.

Another idea was to give the boys diving gear and have divers lead them through the water. But some of the passageways were very narrow. Few of the team members knew how to swim. It would be risky.

While experts figured out a rescue plan, divers with the Thai Navy brought food and oxygen tanks to the team. A doctor and several divers stayed inside the cave with the athletes. The players were even able to send letters out to their families. 

“Dad, Mom, don’t worry about me,” wrote 11-year-old Chanin Viboonrungruang. “I am fine. Please tell (my aunt) to take me to eat fried chicken. Love you all.”

On July 6, the situation grew more urgent. A rescue diver ran out of oxygen and died while delivering supplies in the cave. Experts realized the oxygen level in some parts of the cave was growing low, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. It was time to act.

Starting on July 8, more than 90 divers from around the world began a massive rescue operation. Two divers guided one boy at a time through the water-filled tunnels. They had placed extra tanks of oxygen along the exit route so they would have enough air. The water was muddy, and some parts of the cave were so dark that divers could barely see their hands in front of their faces. Each rescue took several hours.

By July 10, the entire team and their coach had been rescued. They were taken to a hospital, where some of the boys were treated for a lung infection called cave sickness. Doctors will continue to observe the team for a few days. For now, the world is celebrating the dramatic rescue, with some people calling it a miracle.  

“12 wild boars and coach out of the cave,” the Thai Navy divers posted on social media. “Hooyah!”