Will the Thai soccer team escape Tham Luang cave at 7pm tonight?
Thai officials announced that if everything goes smoothly, the young soccer players will be brought out of Tham Luang cave at around 7pm tonight.
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| The press was kept away from the area where the youth soccer team was rescued from Tham Luang cave. Photo: Son Nam/Chaing Rai |
The head of the rescue center, former Chiang Rai governor Narongsak, said, “the water level in the cave has dropped to the permissible level, the weather is good and the victims’ health has improved.”
Mr Narongsak confirmed that Thailand has launched a mission to get the soccer team out of the cave. The 13 people inside the cave are ready and their families have been informed.
The medical teams have been practicing for three days and are ready to treat the victims as soon as they emerge from the cave. The victims will be given diving equipment to swim out of the flooded area. The swim out will be accompanied by divers.
Diving out of the cave is the only viable solution because in the past, search teams have tried to trace another entrance to the cave but have not been able to.
This morning, Thai authorities began "cleaning up" the area outside the Tham Luang cave entrance, where the press and volunteers have been staying for the past several days.
Everyone was asked to leave the location and collect their belongings before 9am on July 8. The restricted area was also expanded to the intersection near the national highway, about 700m from the cave entrance.
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| Hundreds of domestic and foreign reporters were present at the center where the youth soccer team was rescued from Tham Luang cave. Photo: Son Nam/Chiang Rai. |
