Thai cave rescue: 17-day ordeal ends as all 12 boys, coach brought out safely

All the twelve boys and their coach were rescued from the Tham Luang Nang Non Cave in Thailand finally finishing the 17-day ordeal. The Thai Navy SEAL that spearheaded the rescue operation stated that all the 13 members of the Wild Boar football team have been rescued. The coach and one of the boys were the last to be rescued. The rescued boys were airlifted to the hospital. "The 12 Wild Boars and coach have emerged from the cave and they are safe. Hooyah" the Thai navy Seal said on its Facebook page. 

The boys who were being rescued over multiple days and in batches have been kept in isolation for fear of infection. So far, they have not been served Thai food but only items like porridge, bread and chocolate. The first batch of rescued boys has been seen by their parents through a glass window.

According to a report in The Guardian, Jesada Chokedamrongsuk, a physician from the Thai ministry said that the eight boys rescued on Sunday and Monday were looking cheerful. Two boys among the first batch showed possible signs of pneumonia and had low temperature when they first arrived. All of them will remain in the hospital for seven days.

Two Navy SEALs and a doctor who were with the boys are expected to emerge from the cave soon.

The challenging operation began at 10:00 am local time last Tuesday, with the first eight boys being rescued on Sunday and Monday. They were taken to a hospital in the nearest city, Chiang Rai. Preparations for the final rescue operation were unaffected by the heavy downpour overnight, authorities said. 

Divers who were part of the rescue operation said that the water was shallow and fast-moving. A diver, Narongsuk Keasub, described it as the hardest mission they had ever done and said that every step of the extraction process was risky. "We can only see our hands (at a) short distance. Secondly, the stones are razor sharp which is dangerous for our diving, (and) thirdly the passage is very narrow," he said as mentioned in a report in CNN.

In fact, two days before the rescue operation, the oxygen levels within the cave had fallen 15%.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc even showed up at the spot with a mini-submarine to assist in the rescue operations. The authorities, however, felt that the mini-submarine was not suitable for this particular mission. 

The boys aged between 11 and 16, along with their 25-year-old football coach were exploring the caves after a session of football practice. The group was trapped after a flash flood cut off their escape on June 23. The group had been missing for nine days before they were found inside the cave.