Politics
Twelve boys and their soccer coach were trapped inside the Tham Luang cave for over two weeks. Four of them and the coach are still inside.
- Rescuers have evacuated eight boys from a cave in northern Thailand after divers to guide the boys over two miles back to the cave's entrance.
- The effort's second shift was the second trip for some of mission's members, who would have traversed about 10 miles total.
- The rescue effort, led by the Royal Thai Navy's SEAL unit, is working in shifts, bringing four boys back at a time.
- The last four boys and their coach are still trapped inside, waiting for the rescuers to bring them home.
Some divers rescuing the boys trapped in a cave in northern Thailand have traversed about 10 miles over the past two days.
The second shift of the rescue effort to evacuate the trapped soccer team saw a team of 18 Thai and international divers guide four boys about 2.5 miles to the cave's entrance using a 3-mile rope.
It was the second trip down the dark and narrow passageways for some of the members, according to The Guardian.
"The factors are as good as yesterday [and] the rescue team is the same team with a few replacements for those exhausted," Chiang Rai governor and operation chief Narongsak Osatanakorn said Monday.
For the first four rescues on Sunday, two divers accompanied each boy, one from the side and one from behind. In total, 13 foreign cave divers and five Thai Navy SEAL divers participated in Sunday's rescue, according to Reuters.
Dozens of other medical professionals and rescuers were at the cave entrance to assist the divers when they emerged with the boys. On Monday, at least 80 other rescue workers from several countries were there to help.
Shayanne Gal/Business Insider
The rescue effort, which is headed by the Royal Thai Navy's SEAL unit, has now evacuated eight of the 12 boys. But four boys, members of a Thai soccer team ages 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach, remained stranded as of Monday evening.
The rescue workers need 20 hours before the third operation, Osotthanakorn said Monday afternoon, but weather and water levels will also affect plans for the final rescue.
About 0.6 miles of the journey on Sunday was believed to be underwater, requiring the boys to wear full face masks.
Headcam footage posted by The Guardian shows the divers' journey through the dark, wet passages where a diver died early Friday while delivering oxygen tanks to the cave.
Ben Reymenants, who was one of the divers who first found the boys a week ago, described to The New York Times how strong the current inside the cave was.
"You're literally pulling yourself, hand over hand, in zero visibility," he said. "You can't read your depth gauge, you can't read the time, so you're basically flying blind in a direction you don't know."
The boys have been trapped inside the Tham Luang cave for over two weeks due to monsoon flooding.