Operations have begun to free the 12 boys and their coach trapped in Tham Luang Cave in northern Thailand, the mission leader announced. "Today is the day. The boys are ready to face any challenge," rescue chief Narongsak Osottanakorn told reporters near the cave site.
"There's no day we're more prepared than today," said the mission leader. "Otherwise, we'll miss the opportunity," he added. Heavy, sustained rains could cause the water to rise to the level where the children, aged between 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old coach, sit, reducing the area to "less than 10 square meters," Narongsak said on Saturday. The group of 12 children aged between 11 and 16, along with their 25-year-old soccer coach, ventured into the cave complex on June 23, but became trapped after heavy rains caused the water to rise. They were found nine days later, weakened but alive. There's great concern for them, as further torrential rains are forecast in the coming days, and the only way out so far has been by swimming through the long tunnels. The boys are being supplied with oxygen through a tube after the level in the cave dropped dangerously low, but there is a risk that the amount of carbon dioxide will increase.
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