A quick rescue for Thai boys trapped in a cave may not be possible — at least not with SCUBA equipment. A member of the British Cave Rescue Council, which is involved in the rescue efforts, tells DW why.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot
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Twelve young soccer players and their coach remain trapped inside a flooded cave. The group went missing inside the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex on June 23.
DW: Why is a rescue attempt so dangerous?
Gary Mitchell: Any attempt to dive "non-divers" out of any length of water is really a quite serious undertaking … There are several air pockets along the way, but the total length of flooded passage is in the region of a kilometer (.6 miles) long. So it's a huge undertaking for anyone but a really experienced diver — let alone young lads and their coach who've probably never dived before.
What can Thai authorities do – or not do?
They've got access to really good equipment and they've got some good technology, but not necessarily cave-diving-specific technology. These guys, the navy seals working with the Thai authorities, are mainly open-water divers, sea divers. And the terrain is vastly different [in the cave] — visibility down to one foot at best (30 centimeters), confined spaces, all sorts of underground obstacles to concern yourself with as well.
Just how difficult is the rescue dive?
We know from our own rescue team that got in there and found them that it's a serious dive. It's a kilometer of flooded passages, and round about an hour and a half's worth of diving that involves stopping, changing air tanks, all that sort of stuff along that route.
What's the biggest risk?
Can I get up to the surface? And the answer to that question underground, if it is completely flooded passages, is no. Clearly there are air pockets all the way through. We believe the boys are about 2 kilometers into the system, of which about a kilometer is flooded. They could be brought to larger dryer spaces be warmed, refed, looked after and comforted. And we know that the Thai authorities are looking at possibilities.
What is the most realistic timeframe for getting them out?
If it continues to rain for four months, there's a strong possibility that they might not be able to dive them out. The currents are so strong underground in places. Our guys were hampered with several days of heavy rainfall, not being able to progress deeper into the cave. Clearly we can't risk — we wouldn't risk — [their lives] just to get them out if they could be looked after, kept well, warm, and alive underground. That's almost the safest place for them to be as opposed to risking diving them out.
Gary Mitchell is the assistant chairman of the British Cave Rescue Council, which is involved in the search and rescue efforts in Thailand.
Why it was so difficult to extricate Thai cave boys
After a daring rescue mission, Thai divers and international volunteers rescued 12 young soccer players and their coach from a flooded cave. The group was stranded in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex for 18 days.
Image: picture-alliance/Newscom
Happy ending after harrowing ordeal
After deliberating over how best to rescue the boys and their coach - considering even whether to teach them how to dive, or wait for the monsoon waters to recede months later - rescue workers finally settled on pumping out as much water as possible, sedating those trapped and strapping them to a diver who shepherded them to safety.
Image: Reuters/Thai Navy Seals
Found alive after nine days
Rescue divers initially found the 12 young soccer players and their coach alive on July 3 after they went missing in a Thai cave 10 days earlier. Fighting against time, rain and low oxygen levels, rescuers managed to free the first four boys successfully on July 8. The rescuers faced a complicated and dangerous diving mission to free the rest of the team and their coach.
Image: picture-alliance/Newscom
Glimpse of joy
Families of the teenage soccer players expressed their joy over the discovery of the boys nine days after they went missing. Outside the cave, the mother of one of the boys said she was "glad" for a glimpse of her son. "He's thinner," she said, as she ran her finger over the image of her son on a television screen.
Image: Thai Navy Seal via AP
Massive rescue efforts
Thai rescuers were assisted by an international team comprising experts from China, Australia, the USA and Britain. A video from the Thai Navy SEAL Facebook page showed the group several kilometers inside the 10-kilometer (6-mile) cave network on a small wedge of dry ground. The boys moved 400 meters further in as the ledge had become covered by water.
Trapped by flooding
The boys, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach entered the cave to celebrate one of the player's birthday. They became trapped in the cave, a local tourist spot where similar incidents have taken place in the past, when sudden rainfall flooded its entry on June 23. It was later reported that some of the boys could not swim, further complicating the rescue.
Image: picture-alliance/Xinhua
A difficult mission
The rescue mission proved difficult for divers whose efforts were continually hampered by rising water that filled sections of the cave, often forcing them to stop. Getting trained divers into the cave was easier than getting untrained kids out.
Image: Reuters/S. Zeya Tun
Boys' safety paramount
The entire nation was glued to the media coverage of the rescue mission, and Thai authorities insisted they will not compromise on the safety of the trapped group. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha (above, at right) thanked international experts who helped find the boys.
Image: picture alliance/Xinhua News Agency
First boys rescued
The first four boys were rescued by a team of 13 foreign diving experts and Thai Navy SEALS, who helped them navigate the flooded cave tunnels. The head of the rescue operation said they were the healthiest in the group. The rest of the boys and their coach would be rescued from the cave over the next two days.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/L. Suwanrumpha
Safe and sound
Doctors who treated the boys after their rescue reported that while they had lost weight, the otherwise appeared to be in good health. The dozens of divers and hundreds of other rescue workers have been celebrated around the world as heroes, especially 38-year-old former Thai Navy SEAL Saman Kunan, who died after bringing the group supplies of air on July 5.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Thailand Government Spokesman Bureau
