Two more young men have been rescued—the seventh and eighth overall—stranded for days in the Tham Luang cave in Thailand. They have been entrusted to the care of doctors at the field hospital set up at the cave entrance. Shortly before, two other teammates were rescued and also handed over to doctors. The last four young soccer players, along with their coach, are still trapped in the bowels of the earth. They will be rescued tomorrow, Tuesday, July 10: operations have been suspended. CNN reports this, citing a witness who is part of the rescue team and works at the cave entrance. A total of eight young soccer players have been extracted from the cave in two days. The rescue operations began around 11:00 a.m. local time (6:00 a.m. Italian time) and ended "between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m." local time (just before 3:00 p.m. Italian time). The diving team involved was the same one that rescued the first four children on Sunday. Four more children rescued – The fifth teenager (the first of the second group rescued) emerged from the flooded tunnel shortly before 5 p.m. (local time), six hours after the divers returned to the water. He was transported to the hospital, first by ambulance and then by helicopter, as confirmed by witnesses cited by the Guardian.
The first rescue operation – The rescue operations were supposed to resume at dawn but the rain stopped everything. On Sunday the operation was suspended with the announcement that it would take at least ten hours to resume activities. It was in fact necessary to restore the “path” of ropes, sensors and supplies built in recent days so that each recovery can be managed in maximum safety as were those of the first four children. For example, explained the governor (and head of operations) Narongsak Osottanakorn, the oxygen supplies consumed during the rescue of the first four children need to be rebuilt.
The first four young people rescued – The Thai authorities continue to put up a “wall” of no comment on the names and conditions of the four rescued: “These are not wise questions to ask,” they reply to those who ask how they are. All we know is that they have rescued four (they initially said six) and that all were taken to the hospital for treatment and checks. One is said to be in worse condition than the others. “They will be kept separated from their families for a period of time due to the risk of infection,” Osottanakorn explained at a press conference, specifying that parents will be able to visit the children “from a distance or behind a glass panel.” As for their names, we have to rely on the indiscretions of the Daily Beast which cites official sources. They are: Nattawut Thakamsai, 11 years old, nicknamed “Tle”, striker for the “Wild Boars”; Pipat Bodhi, 15 years old: goalkeeper, known as Nick; Pipat does not usually play with the “little boars”, he had joined the group only to be with a friend in training on June 23, Prajak Sutham, 14 years old: goalkeeper, his nickname is Note, sometimes he also plays in midfield; Peerapat Sompiangjai, 16 years old, nicknamed Night, right wing. Supaluk Sompiengjai, Pheeraphat’s mother, told AFP. “We heard that four boys are out but we don’t know who they are, many parents are still here waiting, none of us have been informed of anything”. But she added that she was obviously “happy” to know that her boy should already be safe.
It is obvious, however, that communication problems arise and that a certain confidentiality is desired on a truly complicated operation (ninety professional divers are involved, 50 of whom have come from all over the world and one has already lost his life), which must be completed, for various reasons (the weather conditions and those of the boys, the lack of air in certain points, the objective difficulty of the route) in the shortest possible time. The Tham Luang cave is not far from the town but is still located in an area where everything (roads, supplies, communications) is more difficult.
EDITORIAL TEAM
Choose the social channel you want to subscribe to