CAVE HELL DRAMA
A DIVER died yesterday trying to help the young footballers trapped in a Thai cave – and with him died hopes of an easy rescue for the 12 boys and their coach.
Former Thai Navy SEAL Saman Kunan, 37, ran out of oxygen as he returned from delivering air tanks to the flooded cave where the team has now been stranded for two weeks.
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Officials initially planned to continue delivering supplies to the trapped team for up to four months, until waters dropped sufficiently for them to walk out.
But the death of experienced diver Saman, coupled with news that oxygen levels are down to 15 per cent and decreasing in the cave — where the normal level is 21 per cent — has forced the realisation that time is running out.
Thai Navy SEAL commander Apakorn Yookongkaew said: “At first we thought we could stay for a long time. Now things have changed. We have a limited time.”
Ominously, Navy SEALs also confirmed that getting more oxygen piped in is a top priority.
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The rescue effort comes as the coach trapped alongside the boys has said sorry to their parents.
In the first letter he and the team have sent out through divers the 25-year-old coach said: “To the parents of all the kids, right now the kids are all fine, the crew are taking good care.
"I promise I will care for the kids as best as possible. I want to say thanks for all the support and I want to apologise to the parents.”
It is clear that the mission is a race against the elements.
Thailand’s monsoon season runs from July to October and, while the past few days have been relatively dry, the long-term forecast is rain for months — and experts say it could start today.
If the rescue is to happen before serious rains hit and seal the lads in, it must happen soon.
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One diver, who would not give his name, confirmed to The Sun that a rescue attempt is planned for today if it rains, despite the deadly danger of the swim, as illustrated by Saman’s death.
He said: “Some of the guys have been practising at a nearby pond with local children.
“The people in charge have told us to get ready to get them out.
“We’re being put under a lot of pressure to move sooner rather than later.”
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British cave divers, led by finance broker Vernon Unsworth, 63, who lives locally, discovered the group on a ledge on Monday evening, nine days after they went missing after football practice.
The team entered the caves during fine weather but quickly got stuck when a sudden downpour flooded the tunnels. It is believed the team survived by eating huge freshwater snails and drinking dirty water.
And since they were discovered alive, all hell has broken loose around the sacred forest caves.
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Soldiers, police and navy rescue divers vie for space with the world’s media in a muddy makeshift camp. Food, foil blankets, life jackets and medicine have already been taken into the boys, with plans to lay a fibre-optic cable so they can soon speak to their parents.
Work has also begun to try to run an oxygen line into the complex, while pumps gush water from the cave down into streams which flood the paddy fields at the foot of stunning Khun Nam Nang Non mountain.
12 Thai footballers trapped with their coach in a cave receive medical treatment amid rescue efforts to reduce flow of water
Sadly, one group of volunteers accidentally directed pumped water back into the caves rather than away from them, it emerged yesterday.
But even without this blunder, more and more water is frustrating the attempts of rescuers who hope to pump out enough water for the boys to walk, wade and swim their way out of the underground trap.
Governor of Chiang Rai province Narongsak Osatanakorn said: “We’re trying to pump water out, but more and more is coming in from above and below.
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“Our biggest concern is now the weather.”
With 13 lives at the mercy of the elements, it is little wonder that local people have turned to superstition to help.
A pig’s head was brought to the cave this week as a sacrifice to keep the children safe. Lucky garlands made from banana leaves were also left at the entrance.
Thai journalist Peeranuch Sirayanuwatthanakun, 29, said: “We believe that to prevent rain a virgin must be sent out to plant lemongrass in the ground.
“It has to be someone pure, otherwise it won’t work. It’s very likely the boys’ families have been doing this to keep them safe.
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“Thai people also believe that the number 13 is unlucky — and there are 13 of them down there.”
The mood in the makeshift camp has swung along with the boy’s changing fortunes since they were trapped, and the unexpected death of Saman has been a terrible blow to hopes.
The keen sportsman ran out of oxygen as he returned through the tunnels at 2am local time on Friday morning.
He was brought out by his dive partner but could not be revived. Saman had retired from the navy to work in airport security but returned to help save the boys.
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Police sergeant Soon-torn Kasatae, 38, told The Sun: “We’re so sad he didn’t make it.
“We knew that it’s not going to be easy to get the boys home but this makes me worry even more.”
Currently, the first 980ft of the cave network is dry, and the next 3,900ft can be reached on foot thanks to the 14 pumps that have removed 128million litres of water.
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But the last labyrinthine stretch leading to the boys’ rock shelf is still blocked by narrow flooded tunnels.
Expected heavy rain could seal them in until October if they are not freed in time.
The quickest option — which may go ahead today if the rains begin — is a dangerous scuba dive through the flooded tunnels, a tall ask for boys who cannot swim and are already weak and scared.
Navy divers are with the boys training them to use scuba gear.
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But having them exit through the water is considered the most risky option by some experts.
It takes even the most experienced divers five hours to get through the pitch-black, twisting tunnels — with some passages just 3ft wide and involving climbs over boulders several storeys high.
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Others still hope the pumps will be able to clear “chamber three”, deep within the cave, which may allow those trapped inside to make their exit on foot, wading through neck-high water.
Another option is to try and drill down into the cave and winch the trapped group out.
Yesterday US billionaire Elon Musk announced that engineers from his tunnelling firm The Boring Company, and from his aeropsace firm SpaceX were on their way to help.
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He also tweeted about the possibility of inserting a nylon tube into the cave and inflating it to create an underwater tunnel.
Others prefer to put their faith in a local monk with links to the legendary beginnings of the cave.
Its full name — Tham Luang Nang Non — means “the great cave of the sleeping lady”.
What we know so far:
- The football team made up of 12 boys aged between 11 and 16 and their coach ran into trouble on 23 June.
- They were visiting the cave network in Chiang Rai when monsoon rains trapped them deep inside.
- They were found safe on Monday night by British divers, who discovered them huddled together on a ledge about 1.2miles inside the network.
- They are all in reasonable health - one diver said they were "very weak, but alive".
- The military is sending in provisions to last them up to four months while they assess rescue options.
- The children are being taught how to dive and have been given masks to practice breathing
- The safest option is for them to walk out but this is impossible due to floodwater blocking sections of the route.
It is named after a princess who fell in love with a stable boy and became pregnant. Her father then killed the lad, and the distraught princess then took her own life by stabbing herself in the heart with a hairpin.
The water that flows through Tham Luang is said to be her blood and the mountain above it her body.
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Buddhist monk Kruba Boonchum, 53 — who became a viral hit after predicting the children would be found alive — is believed to be the current reincarnation of the stable hand.
He was mobbed as he arrived to pray inside the cave this week, and his visit has given new hope.
A local volunteering at the site said: “It helps people believe and have heart. It makes people feel more happy.”
British rescue council explains operation to save those trapped in Thai cave could take months
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