Australian officers involved in the Thai cave rescue working in 'incredibly challenging' conditions
The Australian rescue mission to save the 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped for 10 days in a Thai cave system is proving challenging, as police divers battle zero visibility and tight areas as they work to free the group.
Speaking in Canberra on Tuesday, Detective Superintendent Thomas Hester said the Australian Federal Police (AFP) team of six divers were working among “incredibly challenging” conditions.
The 12 youths and their soccer coach were this morning found alive deep inside a flooded cave system in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand after they went missing nearly 10 days ago.
The group must learn to dive or endure several months waiting to be rescued, the country’s army says.
Six AFP dive officers are assisting the Thai-led rescue operation, where priorities are getting food and first aid to the 13 and preparing to evacuate them safely.
Detective Superintendent Thomas Hester said the AFP Specialist Response Group team, which arrived in Chiang Rai on Saturday night Thailand time, faced “incredibly challenging” conditions. That was despite the team having capabilities of working in zero visibility areas, land search and rescue, and diving in flooded caves.
“There are a lot of small, tight areas where larger size people, especially with equipment, may have trouble moving through.”
“The ability to try to pull the boys through those areas with any diving equipment is incredibly challenging,” he said.
The AFP team was working closely with the Royal Thai Navy to plan and support the movement of equipment further into the cave system, to enable the Navy SEALS to safely rescue the group.
Boys trapped in Thai cave must learn to dive or wait months to be rescued
Incredible moment toddler wanders onto main road in front of truck
Toddler orphaned in horror crash ‘thinks parents are at work’
“The AFP dive team will continue to support the Thai authorities to continue to work on moving supplies and equipment to support the rescue effort into the caving system,” Det Supt Thomas Hester said.
“The specialty we have been able to deploy has been very useful to to the Thai authorities and has been very welcomed there. We will continue to support the Thai Navy SEALS in the best way we can.”
Relieved all 13 have been found safe and well after joint Thai/international search effort at #ThamLuang @dfat @AusFedPolice #YourADF 🇹🇭🇦🇺https://t.co/w9WP7jHWsa pic.twitter.com/hyUapr9z3G
— Julie Bishop (@JulieBishopMP) July 3, 2018
These are our highly trained specialist officers entering the #ThamLuang caves yesterday – in search for the missing soccer team. We are happy and proud to be one part of such an incredible international effort. #ThailandCaveSearch #teameffort #allinthistogether pic.twitter.com/GpWM8M8LCU
— AFP (@AusFedPolice) July 3, 2018
Also assisting in Chiang Rai are DFAT and Defence liaison staff and specialists from the US and China.
Aged between 11 and 16, the boys went missing with the 25-year-old coach after soccer practice on June 23 after they set out to explore the Tham Luang cave complex in a forest park near Thailand’s northern border with Myanmar.
Rescuers now have to decide how best to get the group out in their weakened condition. They have been given energy gels to sustain them while a plan is worked out to bring them to safety.
If the boys are able to dive out of the cave, their escape route will be about three kilometres in water with limited visibility.