Cave Rescue Suspended With 5 Still Trapped but in Good Health

Four boys and their coach remain trapped in a cave in northern Thailand after rescue operations [...]

Four boys and their coach remain trapped in a cave in northern Thailand after rescue operations were suspended there on Monday night. Four others were rescued earlier in the day, during the second day of exciting rescues.

The four remaining boys and coach Ekaphol Chantawong will stay in the caves for a seventeenth day. However, officials said they are still in good health.

"We have helped four more children today," rescue chief Narongsak Osottanakorn told the media, reports The Daily Mail. "The health of the remaining five people inside the cave is still good."

The rescue operation could resume within 20 hours. According to CNN, the boys are trapped on a ledge four kilometers (2.5 miles) inside the Tham Luang caves system.

Eight of the 12-member Wild Boars soccer team have been rescued from the caves in total. The four rescued on Monday were rushed to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh hospital and are being treated in quarantine. Their doctors are checking the boys for any illnesses and to help them get their strength back after more than two weeks in darkness.

The rescue of the remaining boys depends on the weather conditions and water levels, which means that it is possible not all of them will be rescued on Tuesday, Osottanakorn said.

"I cannot answer this question right now," the rescue operations chief said, reports The Guardian. "It's down to weather conditions and our plan. We've set a plan for four but if we want to rescue five, those responsible will have to adjust the plan. We can't overrule the diving team because it involves safety."

Meanwhile, relatives have not been allowed to meet with the rescued children yet. Authorities have also not released the names of the rescued children because of "doctor-patient confidentiality." The boys range in age from 11 to 16.

"The medical team is considering whether to let closest relatives visit them... It could be a visit through transparent glass rooms. We are discussing this with doctors at the hospital," Osatanakorn said.

Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha did meet with families gathered at the cave entrance and visited the hospital.

The rescue operation, which is being overseen by the Thai Navy SEALS, has caught international attention, with members of the U.S. military, British cave diving experts and rescue workers from China, Australia and other countries joining. Even President Donald Trump tweeted about the rescue.

"The U.S. is working very closely with the Government of Thailand to help get all of the children out of the cave and to safety. Very brave and talented people," Trump tweeted Sunday.

Photo credit: SAM PANTHAKY/AFP/Getty Images

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