All of the members of the boys’ soccer team that were trapped in a Thai cave have been rescued, along with their coach, CBS News reports.
The 12 boys and their coach were rescued over the course of three days after initially becoming trapped in the cave on June 23 and are being treated at or making their way to the hospital.
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Four boys were rescued on Sunday, four on Monday and the remaining four and their coach were brought out on Tuesday, with the extraction being conducted by a team of Thai Navy SEALs and foreign rescue divers.
The Thai Navy SEALs confirmed the news on Facebook Tuesday, writing, “12 wild pigs and coaches out of the cave. Safe everyone. This time, waiting to pick up 4 Frogs.”
“Wild pigs” refers to the name of the soccer team, the Wild Boars, and “Frogs” denoted divers and medics who had been in the caves with the boys.
“We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science, or what. All the thirteen Wild Boars are now out of the cave,” the Thai Navy SEALs added in another post.
The condition of the last four boys is unknown, but the first eight boys to be rescued are being treated in an isolation ward in a Chiang Rai hospital and medical officials told reporters on Tuesday that they are healthy and mentally fit.
CNN shares that each boy was accompanied by two divers while being rescued, with the boys attached by a thin line to the divers, who held the boys’ oxygen tanks in front of them in order to fit through the cave’s narrow passageways.
One person died during the rescue operation, a former Thai Navy SEAL who ran out of oxygen while diving on Friday.
The team members and their 25-year-old coach had been exploring the caves when they became trapped after rising water cut off the exit. The resulting monsoon flooding kept them from exiting and prevented their discovery for nearly 10 days until they were found by divers on July 2.
The continuing rain posed a threat of even higher water levels, so rescuers had to act swiftly in order to get the team out of the cave before it became impossible.
The story quickly spread around the world and garnered massive interest, with crews deciding how best to rescue the boys while sending them food and supplies in the days leading up to the extraction.
Photo Credit: Getty / Linh Pham
