The rescued Thai soccer team dug a 16-foot deep hole inside the cave wall, despite not having anything to eat

Royal Thai Navy via Associated Press

• The Thai soccer team dug a 16-foot-deep hole into the wall of the cave to try to free themselves, an army doctor said.
• This was despite the boys' not having any food to eat.
• Lt Col Dr Pak Loharachun also praised the team's coach for putting the boys before himself while stranded in the cave for 17 days.
• The boys were rescued last week and are recovering in hospital.

A Thai army doctor who stayed inside the Tham Luang cave complex with the 13 members of the Thai soccer team said the boys dug a massive hole into the wall of the cave in an attempt to free themselves.

Lt Col Dr Pak Loharachun praised the boys in a Facebook post on Monday for their "optimism and great morale in the wake of the ordeal."

"Every day, the kids dug a hole into a wall with rock fragments to find a way out. They managed to dig five meters (16 feet) deep although they had nothing to eat," Loharachun wrote.

Royal Thai Navy Facebook Page via AP

The boys while stranded in the cave, as seen in a video published by the Thai Navy.

The doctor also praised the 25-year-old coach, Ekapol Chanthawong, for putting the boys before himself while stranded in the cave for 17 days.

"I saw from the first day that Ek waited for the boys to satisfy their hunger first. He gave his meal to the young," Loharachun wrote.

"Coach Ek has a beautiful heart. He is truly dedicated."

The soccer team were successfully extracted over the course of three days last week, with the last ones coming out on Tuesday. Video of the boys from over the weekend showed them in good health and recovering in hospital.