Rising water hamper efforts to rescue boys missing in Chiang Rai cave

[webfact]

Rescuers battle rising water

By The Nation

 

 

Dead ends and heavy rain block efforts to find 12 teenage footballers and their deputy coach, missing since Saturday afternoon in a flooded Chiang Rai cave.

 

THE DESPERATE search for 12 young footballers and their coach who have been missing in a flooded Chiang Rai cave since Saturday afternoon continued yesterday, with rescuers considering tunnelling through the roof as a last resort.

 

In Tham Luang cave, a team of divers led by Navy SEALs continued struggling through muddy water and darkness to reach the end of the 10-kilometre-long cave, where it is hoped the 12 teenagers and their 25-year-old coach are sheltering.

 

 

Meanwhile, soldiers combed the hillside above in search of a ceiling shaft through which rescuers might rappel down into the cave.

At its entrance in Mae Sai district, distraught parents who arrived at the weekend, led prayers and rites for the safe return of their loved ones.

 

“I prayed for God’s intervention, but I’m certain in my heart that they will survive. They have been inside the cave before,” the father of one of the young footballers said. 

 

 

“My child, I’m here to get you now,” one parent sobbed, while another screamed: “Come home my child!”

 

Teammates of the missing footballers said they believe the group is still alive as the coach and players were familiar with the cave, which they had trekked to the end of many times.

 

 

Five teammates who had previously visited the cave with the missing group told officials at Tham LuangKhun Nam Nang Non National Park about the directions they usually took inside the cave, in order to give rescuers a better idea of where to look.

 

Ban Pa Yang student Paeng Bualuang said he had been inside the cave along with friends - who were now among the missing teens - three or four times and they had reached the end of cave.

 

“I believe from the bottom of my heart that my friends are still alive because our coach is familiar with the cave. Inside there are large halls and several spots where people can hide away from water. We also sprayed white paint markings along the way so we wouldn’t get lost and could always find the way back to the entrance,” he said. 

 

Mineral Resource Department chief Tawsaporn Nuchanong told journalists in Bangkok that his office has set up a war-room operation to find the missing teens.

 

“We are using geological data to look for fissures in the rock which could be used as a way in for the search team,” he said. He pointed to two potential entrances on a map, saying one marked a crack in the south of a stream while the other is a cliff near a foothill. 

 

 

“The search teams should be surveying the cracks we identified as possible alternative entrances. If they are too small they might have to be widened,” he said.

 

Geologist Chaiyaporn Siripornpaibul said in the same briefing that visitors familiar with the cave had previously found crickets there which could serve as food for the missing group.

 

 

Acting on a tip-off from local villagers about a possible ceiling passage to the cave from the hilltop above, rescuers on Monday rappelled down from a police helicopter only to find the shaft came to a dead end at a depth of five metres. A second shaft thought to lead into the cave was also found to be a dead end.

 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on his return from his official trip to Europe yesterday that he would ask for blessings from the Supreme Patriarch when they met yesterday.

 

Prayut was scheduled to congratulate the top monk on his 91st birthday at the monk’s Rachabophit Temple in Bangkok.

 

The PM said he has ordered all authorities concerned to do their utmost to find the missing group.

 

He also referred to a purported medium who appeared at the rescue site and made a dire prediction on the fate of the missing group. Prayut said his presence was inappropriate. 

 

Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn said that what worried him most was continuous heavy rain that was raising the water level in the already-flooded cave. The high water level made the divers’ mission more difficult, he said.

 

“If we discover the location of the missing kids, it may be necessary to excavate the cave to reach them,” he said.

 

A working group is now planning to drain water from Nang Non and Nong Nam Pu reservoirs, which are located on lower ground, to aid drainage in the cave. 

 

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, responding to queries on the possibility of drilling a shaft down through the cave ceiling, said that officials were surveying the area by helicopter to assess its feasibility.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30348691

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-27

 

 

 

[webfact]

Search operations continue throughout the night non-stop

By Thai PBS

 

 

Search and rescue operations continue throughout the night as rescue teams race against time to reach the 13 trapped footballers and coach who are still missing since they went into the cave on Saturday.

 

The Seal frog men who led the search because of their underwater skill and expertise decided to settle inside the cave to carry on with their search and will not pull out to the cave entrance as they did in the previous nights.

 

Electrical cables were installed at the Seal team’s base camp to provide lighting and, at the same time, to power water pumps which were set up near the camp to pump water out of the cave which will hopefully facilitate the operations of the Seal’s frog men.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/search-operations-continue-throughout-night-non-stop/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-06-27

[webfact]

PM disturbed by presence of mediums at cave

By Thai PBS

 

 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was disturbed by the presence of mediums at Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nong Non where rescue and support teams are based to direct rescue operations to help 12 footballers and a coach trapped inside the cave.

 

Speaking from France where he is on official visit, the prime minister admitted on Tuesday that he felt uncomfortable with the presence of the mediums, saying that they might complicate the situation and demoralize the spirit of families of those trapped inside the cave.

 

He also asked the media to exercise caution in their presentation of the news about the rescue operations to the extent that the officials responsible for the rescue operations felt worried or being pressured or lost their concentration.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/pm-disturbed-presence-mediums-cave/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-06-27

 

[webfact]

Rescue team may be dropped from a chopper through a tunnel into cave

By Thai PBS

 

 

Rescue team may have to be dropped from a helicopter into the cave through a tunnel at the cliff face of Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non or to trek to the tunnel and climb down into the cave, Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda said late Tuesday afternoon.

 

The minister who arrived at the cave on Tuesday to supervise the search and rescue operations said he was confident that the 12 trapped footballers and their coach are still alive although they are yet to be located.

 

He said that Seal frog men were encountering difficulties in getting through a flooded channel to a cave chamber because of the murky water which has blocked their visibility and rising water.
 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/rescue-team-may-dropped-chopper-tunnel-cave/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-06-27

[ezzra]

One adult leader and 12 teens went cave explorations without any preparations whatsoever, it seems that they intended to go deep and not only a quick look,

hopefully they will be found safe and sound, and that no one will pay with their lives for the basic knowledge that if you're about to do deep cave explorations you better be prepared and ready...

[nausea]

Who the hell let mediums on site, someone needs to take control of this situation and fast, it's not a circus, 13 lives are at stake and the clock is ticking. I hope the impression I'm getting of a chaotic, uncoordinated operation is a misapprehension on my part.

[delphioracle]

I fear that the chances of finding anyone alive are indeed slim.Missing now for 4 days, lack of food, exposure  to cold conditions  via water, the hopes are slim for survival.

 

Cave exploration , potholing  are  hazardous  excursions needing proper equipment and qualified guides and emergency food and  power pack supplies.Mobile phones I would presume are  not working  due to the  lack of signal due to the ground cover, and now  possibly no power.

 

Still,  while there is hope and the search teams keep going there is a slim chance of survival.

 

My heart goes out to the families of those lost in this underground labyrinth as well as those who are lost or trapped in the labyrinth.

 

Don't lose hope, keep searching. 

[Ks45672]

Arrest the psychic who said they're all dead

People have been thrown in jail for a lot less in thailand

[DoctorG]

Is it too soon to wonder why they ignored the sign warning people not to enter?

[Darcula]

Suprising that no one is throwing tantrums yet over the speed of this rescue operation. That worked when those Thai went over the cliff in Kings Canyon.

 

 

[NextStationBangkok]

Sorry to know about the situation.

 

With GPS, Drones, rescue robots we are still living in the dark ages.

 

It is 4th day without food, very scary situation for everyone, including their parents.

 

Let all ThaiVisa members pray for their well being, and faster rescue. Hope there is a good news today.

Edited June 27, 2018 by NextStationBangkok

[NextStationBangkok]

51 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

Is it too soon to wonder why they ignored the sign warning people not to enter?

 

Warning says July-Nov for flood warning. But everyone know monsoon has already started and raining heavily.

 

Coach to be blamed for bringing these innocent boys to cave.

[bluesofa]

20 minutes ago, Darcula said:

Suprising that no one is throwing tantrums yet over the speed of this rescue operation. That worked when those Thai went over the cliff in Kings Canyon.

 

 

Quote from the article above:

"In Bangkok, Ekkachai Taidecha, uncle of Bhakapon, applied yesterday for entry visas for a Thai rescue team, saying Thais should take over if US authorities continued to fail to act.

“If this accident happened in Thailand, Thai rescuers would be able to get the bodies within 12 hours, no matter how bad the weather was. They would not have to use a helicopter,” he said."

 

It has happened in Thailand, the rescue efforts are still ongoing. Or should the US authorities get involved?

 

[webfact]

Rescue teams battle high water to find boys missing in Thai cave

By Chayut Setboonsarng

 

Rescue workers are seen inside of the Tham Luang caves where 13 members of an under 16 soccer team were trapped in the northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand, June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer

 

CHIANG RAI, Thailand (Reuters) - Thai soldiers, volunteers and members of a navy "seal" unit including a team of divers worked through the night to try to find a group of young soccer players trapped inside a cave, as the search for the team entered a fourth day on Wednesday.

 

Rescue workers took turns pumping water from inside the cave amid difficult weather conditions including heavy rain overnight which caused water levels to rise inside the Tham Luang cave in the country's northern Chiang Rai province.

 

"Last night we worked non-stop in order to drain water out of the cave as much as possible," Major Buncha Duriyapan, commander of the 37th Military District in Chiang Rai, told Reuters.

 

The boys, aged between 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old assistant coach, went missing on Saturday after soccer practice. Messages exchanged between the team members showed they planned to explore the cave and had taken flashlights and some food.

 

Sergeant Kresada Wanaphum from the Royal Thai Army said high water levels inside the cave is the biggest challenge, along with low oxygen levels.

 

"Water is the biggest challenge. There is a lot of debris and sand that gets stuck while pumping," Kresada told Reuters.

 

"We have to switch out units because there is not enough air in there," he added, before entering the cave.

 

Nopparat Kantawong, the team's head coach who did not attend soccer practice on Saturday, said he believes the boys are still alive, adding that messages on a group chat showed the boys took flashlights and some food with them inside the cave.

 

"I believe up until this very moment that my team members and my assistant coach still have some light left. They will not abandon each other," Nopparat told reporters.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Wongsuwan told reporters in Bangkok on Wednesday the country's army chief would travel to the area.

 

"I have asked the army chief to go up to Chiang Rai," Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters.

 

Asked whether the missing boys and their coach would be found, Prawit said: "We hope that they will be found because they have been missing for many days."

 

(Additional reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Panarat Thepgumpanat and Pracha Hariraksapitak; Editing by Michael Perry; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-06-27

[johng]

Why does the map show the cave at "Pattaya Beach" ? ?

[Krataiboy]

3 hours ago, delphioracle said:

I fear that the chances of finding anyone alive are indeed slim.Missing now for 4 days, lack of food, exposure  to cold conditions  via water, the hopes are slim for survival.

 

Cave exploration , potholing  are  hazardous  excursions needing proper equipment and qualified guides and emergency food and  power pack supplies.Mobile phones I would presume are  not working  due to the  lack of signal due to the ground cover, and now  possibly no power.

 

Still,  while there is hope and the search teams keep going there is a slim chance of survival.

 

My heart goes out to the families of those lost in this underground labyrinth as well as those who are lost or trapped in the labyrinth.

 

Don't lose hope, keep searching. 

 

One of the group's big problems is finding their way in the inky blackness. Even if they had torches or smartphone lights, these would almost certainly have run out of power by now. 

 

Drilling equipment needs to arrive there in a hurry if there is any prospect of boring shafts down into the cave. 

 

Instead of critisising the mediums who are already at the cave, the PM should get up there post haste and similtaneously launch an official inquiry into why the cave, which becomes a death trap during flash floods, was left open and unguarded during the rainy season.

 

The new notice outside is stable door thinking, clearly designed belatedly to cover somebody's ass.

 

Why does Thailand always have to learn the hard way?

[Get Real]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was disturbed by the presence of mediums at Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nong Non where rescue and support teams are based to direct rescue operations to help 12 footballers and a coach trapped inside the cave.

Maybe it´s better to concentrate on the missing persons that might already be dead or will soon die if nothing is done.

[ubonjoe]

33 minutes ago, johng said:

Why does the map show the cave at "Pattaya Beach" ? ?

It does show that. It is a place inside the cave.

From the Thai PBS article posted at #4.

"The minister disclosed that the 13 might take refuge at a sand bar named Pattaya Beach at the end of the cave."

[sanemax]

2 minutes ago, Get Real said:

Maybe it´s better to concentrate on the missing persons that might already be dead or will soon die if nothing is done.

That is what he said , He didnt want mediums there because they may hinder the rescue mission and everyone should concentrate on finding the kids

[robblok]

6 minutes ago, lvr181 said:

I understand what you say BUT look/read at the regular ongoing stupid utterances from Thai authorities. And now I would wonder what the "uncle" thinks of this ongoing possible tragedy.

So you think that grieving family members are rational at the moment they have lost someone. I would say most are not. I would say most cannot be rational when it comes to stuff like this. Just my opinion. 

[LolaS]

14 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

It does show that. It is a place inside the cave.

From the Thai PBS article posted at #4.

"The minister disclosed that the 13 might take refuge at a sand bar named Pattaya Beach at the end of the cave."

can you please explain me what is the meaning of sand bar?

[lvr181]

4 minutes ago, robblok said:

So you think that grieving family members are rational at the moment they have lost someone. I would say most are not. I would say most cannot be rational when it comes to stuff like this. Just my opinion. 

Okay.

 

I think now you misunderstand the thrust of my post. 

[Tug]

Sad hoping for good news covered briefly on cnn here in the USA prayers to all

[neeray]

3 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

It does show that. It is a place inside the cave.

From the Thai PBS article posted at #4.

"The minister disclosed that the 13 might take refuge at a sand bar named Pattaya Beach at the end of the cave."

I know squat about rescue and/or caves. But having followed this search and rescue intently, all signs seem to keep pointing to the end of the cave (Pattaya Beach area) as to where the group might be. It sounds logical. Maybe they held up there hoping for the water level to recede. So yes General Prayut and General Prawit, pull out all the stops like it's a coup. Use your power of 44. Order any company within a reasonable radius who possesses knowledge and/or excavating and drilling equipment to the site, no delays. Drill down to Pattaya Beach. Drill baby drill (as they say in the oil fields). 

And if you really want to score some election kudos, go there yourself (Nah, stay home, no need for a distraction).

[ratcatcher]

16 minutes ago, LolaS said:

can you please explain me what is the meaning of sand bar?

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbar

 

No beer or girls, just sand. .

[neeray]

15 minutes ago, LolaS said:

can you please explain me what is the meaning of sand bar?

"Sand bar". There are lots of knowledgeable people on here that could explain this better than me but nobody offered so I will try. Probably the natural flow of water drops sand in a given spot, thus, it creates a natural sand bar. This is possibly where the 13 are.

[Scott]

Posts and replies removed for various reasons, one being Thai bashing.   I think we can dispense with the commentary on Thais, driving, helmets and other nonsense.  

[FreddieRoyle]

Thoughts and prayers to the kids, the wife and I have been watching this on Thai tv for days now. Really heartbreaking for them to be so close to the rescuers, but completely unreachable. One consolation is that as a team the kids should have some bond and will be less likely to panic. Waiting for good news....

[MrJohnson]

Thoughts and prayers.

[SABloke]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The PM said he has ordered all authorities concerned to do their utmost to find the missing group.

Right...because no one was doing anything before you arrived back ? He's so far up his own arse - it's pathetic really.