By now you must have already heard something about the Tham Luang Cave rescue. The story is being covered worldwide and is a part of the top news around the world. The news of 12 boys and their coach being trapped in a cave is circulating since 23rd June. But what is exactly the whole thing? How did these boys get trapped in the cave and who are they?. We have put all the information that you want to know on this blog.
How it all began?
On 23rd June 2018, twelve boys all between the ages of 11 years to 17 years along with their 25-year-old assistant coach walked into a cave in Thailand’s Chiang Rai Province after their usual football practice in Northern Thailand. These boys and the coach entered the cave for an excursion but things took a different turn and soon heavy rain caused the flood in that area. Due to the flood, their escape route was cut off and the boys and their coach got trapped inside the cave. These boys were all members of a local Football Association team. Right after this incident, these boys and their assistant coach were reported missing and rigorous search operations for them began immediately.
The authorities kick-started a very thorough search in all the nearby places and all the possible places the search team thought that the boys and the coach might have gone. But all their efforts were obstructed by the heavy rain and the floodwater. For about a week, no contact was made. The news was covered intense world media which led the rescue team to begin a massive operation. After several days of struggle and searching, on 2nd July, a team of British divers managed to discover the missing people after nine days since they went missing. All the boys and their coaches were alive.
They had been trapped in the cave and cut off from the outside world with no food and clean water to drink. They were spotted on an elevated rock about 3.2 kilometers (2.0 mi) from the mouth of the cave. After this, the rescue team began plotting a solid plan to successfully take out all the boys from the cage. They began pumping out water from the cave. This enabled the rescue of four boys on the 8th of July, about six days after the discovery of the boys and their coach. The next day, four more boys were rescued successfully. Today 2 more boys were reportedly rescued which leaves only one boy and their coach trapped and left to be rescued as of now. The rescue team is trying all they can to rescue the remaining people soon before the weather gets even worse.
The rescue operation was being taken care of, by a team of more than 1000 people including the Thai Navy SEALS, a number of volunteers, and help from other countries too in the form of technical assistance teams. All the boys who are rescued have been admitted to the hospital. They have undergone several tests including X rays and blood tests and they will remain in the hospital under medical observation for at least seven days before they are released.
It was observed that none of the boys who are rescued had any sign of fever but two of them were suspected to have possible ling infections hence they were given antibiotic treatment. All the doctors are instructed to check the boys for any other infections such as Caver’s disease. It’s a lung disease that is caused by a fungus that grows in bat droppings. They will also take care of the cleaning of any cuts or bruise that the boys may have on their skin. However, those who are still present and stuck on the ledge, are being watched by the Thai Navi Sail and a doctor.
Currently, the escaped boys are in quarantine which means that their parents will not be allowed to make any physical contact with their boys. This will be done to ensure that the boys are away from any possible risk of coming across any infections.
The rescue operation is still taking place to vacate the cave and reduce the last boy and the assistant coach. All the things are running smoothly and it is expected to free the last boy and the coach soon. However, one unfortunate death took place amidst the rescue operation. A 38-year-old former THAI SEAL asphyxiated during the rescue operation. The SEAL was on his way back to the cave after delivering supplies of air to the interior. The current news is that the rescue team is, in their full capacity, trying to take out the last two people out of the cave as the world has its eyes on this news and people are eagerly waiting to hear the news of their escape.
