Thailand is finally breathing a sigh of relief: the coach of the Wild Boars team has also been rescued from the Tham Luang cave. The third phase of the boys' rescue operation has been extraordinary: within a few hours, rescuers managed to recover the four boys still trapped in the cave, along with their coach, who had chosen to be the last to emerge from the nightmare. All the teenagers, aged between 12 and 16, and their 25-year-old coach, trapped in the cave since June 23, are free. "We intend to free them all today," said Narongsak Osottanakorn, the rescue team's leader. The objective is now within reach, and the diving team involved in the rescue—the same one that rescued the first four boys on Sunday—is now working to free the coach.
The boys rescued between Sunday and Monday, eight in all, “are in good mental condition,” Jesada Chokedamrongsuk, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, said from Chiang Rai Hospital. Jesada added that the group had undergone X-rays and blood tests, adding that two had suspicious symptoms of pneumonia, but had been given antibiotics and “are doing well.” He said the group could eat, move and talk. “They will have to stay in the hospital for a week to wait for their results and see if anything changes,” Jesada said.
Thongchai Lertwilairattanapong, inspector general of the Ministry of Public Health, said the first four boys who emerged on Sunday were eating: “They are also asking for chocolate.” The boys remain in quarantine, but some parents were able to see their children through glass. Thailand has mobilized to rescue the “Wild Boars” team, which was trapped in Tham Luang more than two weeks ago after heavy rains flooded and blocked exits. Rescuers have resumed operations to extract the rest of the team and their coach as heavy rains threaten to complicate the final phase of the mission by refilling the cave.
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