What Next For The 13 Boys Stuck in Thailand’s Caves As Options for Rescuers Limited?

After nine days of furious rescue efforts, the 12 boys aged between 11 to 16 and their football coach were found alive in Thailand’s Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex which runs to almost 10 kilometres. But after the discovery, the biggest question now facing rescuers is how to extract the boys from their current location deep inside the caves as most of the path back is flooded with rain water.

Part of the concern about attempting to bring the boys out of the cramped, pitch-black chamber where they have spent the better part of nine days is that they are around two kilometers (1.2 miles) inside the cave, and nearly a kilometer below the surface, according to rescuers.

Thai Navy Seal Chief Rear Adm. Aphakorn Yoo-kongkaew updated reporters at a news conference late Tuesday about the steps being taken to ensure the safety of the stranded boys. "Now we have given food to the boys, starting with food that is easy to digest and provides high energy," he said. "We have taken care of those boys following the doctor's recommendation. So do not worry, we will take care of them with our best. We will bring all of them with safety. We are now planning how to do so."

The focus, said Yoo-kongkaew, was on building their strength so they can attempt the journey out.

"We don't have to rush. We are trying to take care of them and make them strong. Then the boys will come out to see you guys," he said.

However, options for the rescuers working in and around the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system in northern Thailand are limited.

The area in which the group remains stranded is accessible only via a narrow, flooded channel, and attempts to pump water from the cave, or find a natural opening in the roof of the chamber, have so far been unsuccessful.

Capt. Akanand Surawan, a commander with the Royal Thai Navy, said authorities would now supply the group with four months' worth of food and begin teaching the boys how to scuba dive.

Surawan's reference to four months is a signal that authorities are considering waiting until after the rainy season ends in October to begin the rescue operation. But with heavy rain expected to continue in the coming days, rising water levels could force rescuers to act sooner rather than later.

Earlier, the Thai military said the boys would need to learn to scuba dive but diving is considered among the least preferable escape methods, with experts cautioning that any attempt to traverse the narrow passageways will be fraught with difficulties and potential complications, especially as most of the boys can't swim.

A final rescue option could even see the boys lifted through the roof of the cave chamber to safety, either through a natural opening or a drilled entry point.

During an attempted rescue mission last week, trekkers found a hidden opening deep in the jungle, giving them another way to enter the cave system. The natural chimney was at least 1.5 meters in diameter and at least 22 meters deep.

Though the opening did not connect to the area where the boys were discovered, now that the exact location is known, rescue efforts can focus on finding other, potentially hidden openings.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 04, 2018 12:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).