Thai boy Soccer rescue cannot be rescued today. HUGE RISKS Live video now available

[lonelywombat]

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/wo...570d8a2cceGRIM
extensice write up with live tv coverage
NEWS FROM THAI CAVE
The Thai boys trapped inside a flooded cave with their soccer coach for two weeks are not yet ready to attempt a dangerous dive to freedom, after the death of a military diver underscored the huge risks they face.
Addressing journalists near the Tham Luang cave complex, the governor of the Chiang Rai province, Narongsak Osottanakorn, was not confident that an extraction attempt would be safe at the moment.
There were unconfirmed reports circulating earlier that the authorities may begin the rescue mission overnight due to fears that forecast torrential rains would further endanger the trapped football team.

“We [will] try to set the best plan. If the risk is minimal, we will try. We are afraid of the weather and the oxygen in the cave. We have to try to set the plan and find which plan is the best,” Mr Osottanakorn said, The Guardianreports.

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[lonelywombat]

CNN has upgraded their report with more graphics
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/06/a...ntl/index.html

[a447]

Some posts in this thread have been moved to the Holding Room.

https://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/showt...er-team-rescue

[lonelywombat]

https://www.smh.com.au/business/comp...07-p4zq2m.html

Elon Musk company are to arrive in Bangkok today saturday. But I have seen videos of the country above where the 13 are and it is almost impossible to locate a safe start point.
Why did it take Elon Musk so long to become involved?

[Nirish guy]

[URL] Why did it take Elon Musk so long to become involved?

I would suggest thats as he knows fine well that he's very little to offer in the way of fresh suggestions or ideas perhaps - and listening to his "big" idea of sending a balloon down a 70cm shaft to push out the water ? doesn't sound like it's gonna be the big breakthrough either perhaps - so i guess he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't become involved.

Also noteworthy to see that he simply sent "a few engineers to have a look at things" so Im guessing that even he isn't too sure he / they can maybe help either much. But hey he's getting PR for trying I guess so I'm sure his PR team said "go for it" - nothing to loose - lets just hope that they're not VERY wrong about that in the coming days PR wise as the story develops !

[lonelywombat]

latest update in detail by cnn just published
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/07/a...ntl/index.html

Thai cave rescue: Storm clouds pressure rescuers to get boys out
By Steve George, CNN

Updated 1329 GMT (2129 HKT) July 7, 2018
[first 4 paras only]

Mae Sai, CNN (CNN)For the Buddhist monks who keep nightly vigil outside the cave where 12 young boys and their soccer coach remain trapped, the dry weather is a sign their prayers are working.

Members of this tight-knit community in Mae Sai, northern Thailand, know that the return of seasonal monsoon rains will complicate any attempt to rescue the boys, who became stranded deep inside the tunnel network 14 days ago following a sudden flash flood.
The Thai authorities know it too.
Monsoon season typically lasts from July to October. During that time, waters levels in Mae Sai, which sits nestled along Thailand's mountainous border with Myanmar, can rise rapidly, flooding farmland and cutting off entire villages.

[lonelywombat]

https://www.theguardian.com/news/201...e-against-time
first 4 paras of long update.

The parents of 12 boys stranded inside a northern Thailand cave have written to their children for the first time and to the coach who led them inside, telling him: “Please don’t blame yourself.”

“To all the kids,” one letter, written by the mother of Nattawut Takamsai, 14, said. “We are not mad at you at all. Do take good care of yourself. Don’t forget to cover yourself with blankets as the weather is cold. We’re worried. You will come out soon.”

She wrote to Ekkapol Chantawong, the coach: “We want you to know that no parents are angry with you at all, so don’t you worry about that.”

The notes were delivered by Thai navy Seals who picked up letters written in return by the boys to their parents. Chanin Wiboonrungrueng, 12, told his mother and father not to worry. “I’m fine,” he wrote. “Please tell Yod to take me out to a fried chicken shop.”

The release of the handwritten notes illustrated the stakes of a race against time that has captivated Thailand and the world since Monday, when the boys were discovered sheltering on a muddy ledge two miles (3.2km) inside the cave.

[lonelywombat]

Teams ready for Thai cave rescue attempt as rain closes in
what is happening now full up to date report

https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia...08-p4zq6y.html

2 para indicating it may happen now . see full report

Huge green screens have been placed around the track that leads into the cave complex, further limiting access and blocking a clear view of preparations that are under way.

Some of the ambulances that have been lined up in a field near the evacuation site have been parked close to the cave exit and several army helicopters are parked in a nearby field.

a twitter report in the last 30 minutes indicates that 4 boys will be tried first

A Bangkok Post reporter has said on Twitter that the first stage of the operation will be to recover four boys.

“Sending support and prayers to the Seal unit and the first four kids to come out safe,” Wassana Nanuam wrote on Twitter.

The Guardian has not been able to confirm this and officials have not confirmed details of the operation.

[Manforallseasons]

Thai cave rescue: Divers start mission to free boys trapped in cave
By Steve George, CNN
Updated Jul 8, 2018
Tham Luang Nang Non caves,Thailand (CNN) - The perilous mission to evacuate 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach trapped deep inside a flooded cave in northern Thailand is underway, Thai authorities announced Sunday.
"Our readiness is at the highest today. Today is D-day," said Chiang Rai governor, Narongsak Osotthanakorn, adding that the families had been informed of the plan and given their support to the rescue effort.
At 10 a.m. local time, an international contingent of 13 specialist divers descended into the watery network of underground tunnels below the Mae Sai mountains, carrying with them the hopes of an entire nation.
The plight of the stricken boys, who have remained trapped inside the caves for 15 days, has transfixed Thailand, as rescue efforts have become ever more urgent.
Rescuers have what has been described as a dwindling window of opportunity, with forecasters predicting the return of heavy monsoon rains in the coming days, effectively sealing off the cave until October.
Race against time
At the site of the caves, volunteers assisting in the operation described the rescue attempt as a "now or never" scenario.
The boys and their coach are huddled together in a small chamber 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) inside the cave, surrounded by flood water and with a limited supply of oxygen.
To reach them, divers will need to successfully navigate a network of sprawling narrow tunnels, with officials close to the operation suggesting rescuers will use a "buddy" system, with each diver paired with a child. Extra oxygen tanks will also be positioned along the route.
Signs that a rescue operation was under way were evident in the hours leading up to the announcement as authorities installed a large green tarp around the cave entrance and removed media from outside of the camp to a separate location.
On the road leading to the tunnels, a near continuous convoy of trucks and military vehicles delivered troops and medical equipment equipment, including a large cache of oxygen tanks . On Saturday evening, numerous international military advisers could be seen entering the site, followed later by four monks in orange robes.
At the entrance to the site, a newly placed, thin white decorative flag fluttered in the wind, a Buddhist sign to indicate positive energy.
High risk
Hopes had been high that an alternative means of rescue would be discovered. For days, specialist teams have scoured mountains above the cave in search of a possible hidden entry point.
Divers have previously described conditions in the cave network as some of the most extreme they have ever faced.
The decision to remove the boys using divers would not have been taken lightly. On Friday, a former Thai Navy SEAL died while returning from an operation to deliver oxygen tanks to the cave where the boys are located.
Even if the divers are successful, it will be many hours before the fate of the boys and their rescuers will be known. Thai authorities say it takes around 11 hours for divers to complete the round trip.
Finnish volunteer diver Mikko Paasi, a long-term resident of Thailand, said the death of the Thai Navy SEAL had changed the mood on the ground and made real for rescuers just how dangerous the mission had become.
"Definitely, you can feel it that it has an effect, but we're moving on. Everyone is a professional so we're trying to put it away and avoid it happening again," he said, adding: "Everybody is focusing on getting these boys out -- keeping them alive or getting them out."
Spirits high
In the hours preceding the rescue, a letter the boys had sent to their families was published on the Thai SEALs' Facebook page. The letter shows the boys in good spirits despite their ordeal.
In neat blue handwriting, 11-year-old Chanin Viboonrungruang, the youngest of the group, told his parents not to worry, and said he was looking forward to eating fried chicken.
His parents, who along with other families, have maintained a constant vigil at the site since the boys first became trapped.
On reading the letter Saturday evening, Chanin's father, Tanawut Viboonrungruang, said he felt a great sense of relief. "I had been worried about my son, that he would be exhausted, he would be tired," he said.
For families the wait for news of their boys' rescue has been excruciating.
"I was worried about him as there are obstacles to extract him out. Everyone knows that it is difficult to stay inside (the cave) but the officials are trying (to help him)," said Viboonrungruang.
"I hope he is still healthy and would come out soon. I want to send my support to him. I don't have a chance to talk with him," he said.
© 2018 Cable News Network, Inc
A Time Warner Company
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

[lonelywombat]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-begins-divers
Rescue operation to free boys stuck in Thailand cave 'could take days'
Operation started 10am local time and the soonest any boy will be freed is 9pm local time
• Thailand cave rescue: officials announce mission has begun - live
Michael Safi and Veena Thoopkrajae in Mae Sai

@safimichael
Sun 8 Jul 2018 14.14 AEST Last modified on Sun 8 Jul 2018 14.41 AEST

Eighteen divers have entered a northern Thailand cave in an attempt to retrieve 12 boys and their football coach who have been stranded in a cave for the past two weeks.

The rescue operation started around 10am local time and the soonest any boy would be freed was 9pm, said Narongsak Osatanakorn, the governor of Chiang Rai province. The boys would be removed gradually and accompanied by two divers each in an operation that could continue until at least Monday.

“Today we are most ready,” he told a press briefing. “Today is D-Day.”

The team includes 13 international divers and five Thai navy Seals. “We can say they are all international all-stars involved in this diving operation and we selected five of our best who can work with them,” Osatanakorn said.


Parents of boys trapped in Thai cave tell coach: don't blame yourself
Read more
An Australian doctor with extensive cave diving experience went into the chamber on Sunday, examined the boys and approved them for the operation, authorities said.

The boys and their families had been informed. “Their health and their minds are ready and they all have knowledge of the mission,” he said. “They’re ready to go out.”

He said the 1.5km path from the cave entrance to the “third chamber” that has been a staging ground for the operation was not completely dry but mostly walkable. “Yesterday the water levels were the lowest they had been,” Osatanakorn said.

He would not say whether the boys would need to dive at all in the 1.7km journey from where they are sheltering to the third chamber, saying most of the route would be walkable.

He said water levels had dropped 30cm since Saturday and “we have reached peak readiness”. “The meaning of readiness is ... perfect weather, water and the kids readiness, physical and mental.”

The governor said the mission could take two days. “There’s no time limit for the operation,” he said.

“It depends on the weather. It depends on the water levels. If something changes we’ll stop. But I expect the operation to finish in the next couple of days.”

Authorities had said on Saturday they had a three- to four-day window the remove the boys before monsoon rain risked sealing them off until as late as January.

But heavy rain hit the site overnight and on Sunday morning media was cleared from the area surrounding the cave, triggering speculation the operation had commenced.

late update on ABC news. Leader and at least one boy might not be strong enough to move