The young soccer coach who has been trapped for two weeks inside a partially flooded Thai cave with his team of 12 boys has apologised to the parents of the boys in a scrawled note released by the Thai Navy.
“To the parents of all the kids, right now the kids are all fine, the crew are taking good care,” Ekapol Chanthawong wrote. “I promise I will care for the kids as best as possible. I want to say thanks for all the support and I want to apologise to the parents.”
A total of seven pages were posted on the Thai Navy SEALs Facebook page, with messages apparently from each of the boys — aged 11 to 16 — and their 25-year-old coach.
Their brief notes express gratitude, love as well as dreams of food. “I want to eat pan-fried pork,” one of the boys writes.
“Don’t worry, everyone is strong”, one letter read. “When we get out of here, we want to eat many things. We want to go home as soon as possible,” adds the message.
The group has been trapped more than 4km inside the cave in northern Thailand since June 23.
A risky plan to save the boys could be rolled out in the next 24 hours. The boys will likely be evacuated alongside experienced scuba divers in what is being called a “buddy dive”.
It is understood that the schoolboys and their coach will be guided out of the 4km cave tunnel, one-on-one with a Navy SEAL diver.
The buddy system would allow the skilled divers to closely monitor their partner and ensure their safety.
It has been reported by ABC News in the US that the plan to rescue the boys could be launched this weekend. It also reported that Thailand’s prime minister was due to be briefed on the proposal Saturday morning, local time.
If approved, the plan would role out in two stages. The first stage involves staging equipment, air tanks and clearing obstacles in the cave and could be completed by 6pm local time Saturday.
The second phase involves the “buddy dive” and could start as early as Sunday morning local time, ABC News reports.
Thai divers would lead the mission but the rescue team includes divers and workers from the US, Australia, the United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe and Asia.
At a late night press conference, Chiang Rai province governor Narongsak Osottanakorn said there was “a plan in place” but he stressed the boys were not yet ready to attempt a dangerous dive to freedom.
He said the boys had not learned adequate diving skills in the few days since searchers reached the area where they are sheltering. He also said the boys had enough strength to walk but could not swim to safety.
Narongsak Osottanakorn said the health of most of the boys had “improved to normal”, and that divers were continuing to teach diving and breathing techniques.
When asked if a rescue attempt would be made overnight if it started to rain, he said: “No, the boys can’t dive at this time.”
There was great concern over the dwindling air supply as the level of oxygen in the cave where the boys are trapped dropped to 15 per cent. The usual level is around 21 per cent.
But an air line has been installed overnight to the cave where the group waits to be rescued.
The death of the military diver on Friday underscored the huge risks the boys face.
The diver’s death brought heartache for rescuers and anxious relatives waiting outside the Tham Luang cave in the country’s mountainous north — and raised serious doubts over the feasibility of attempting to bring a group of boys with no diving experience out through the cramped passageways filled with muddy water.
But rescue officials fear their options are running out given fresh monsoon rains are forecast for the coming days.
Source: news.com.au
BDST: 1457 HRS, JUL 7, 2018
SI
