CHIANG RAI: The second day of the perilous extraction of 12 boys and their football coach trapped deep inside Tham Luang cave in Mae Sai district began at 11am Monday with an expanded team of divers. The scheduled time was advanced from Monday night to race against time.
Rescue operation commander Narongsak Osotthanakorn made the announcment on Monday afternoon. He said that expert divers who had taken part in Sunday's operation needed to rest at least 20 hours, which would have delayed the start of the second phase to between 8pm and 10pm on Monday.
"When everything was taken into account, including a forecast of possible rain, the water level and the physical health of those involved, the operation was advanced 4-5 hours. We hope for good news in the next few hours," Mr Narongsak said at about 3pm.
He stressed that the starting time was advanced only when the safety of all had been considered.
The second extraction attempt involves a larger team of Thai and foreign divers, some of whom took the places of divers who were tired after Sunday's extraction, he said.
(Video YouTube/CNN)
The four trapped boys who were extracted Sunday must remain under doctors' orders for a while, Mr Narongsak said, and their names were withheld in consideration of the feelings of those with loved ones still trapped in the cave.
He assured everyone that his operational command was determined to save all the 13 people stuck in the cave.
Authorities on Monday confirmed that water inflows into the cave remained at controllable levels while drainage efforts continued. Explorers on the mountain above the cave had not found any promising shafts that might provide an alternate point of access to the section of the cave where the boys and their football coach were trapped.
Police complained that some media orgaisations had operated drones without permission in the area and eavesdropped on officials' radio communications to collect information about the extraction operation. Legal action was underway, they said.
Twelve local footballers aged 11-16 and their 25-year-old coach had been trapped in the long, winding and partially flooded Tham Luang cave since June 23. Rescuers found them on July 2.
(Video YouTube/CNN)
