Thailand: Tham Luang cave entrance may be drilled to rescue youth soccer team
(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of July 6, information appeared about the discovery of a tunnel that could be the path leading to the rocky crevice where the teenage soccer players were trapped in Tham Luang cave.
Rescue teams have completed three of the 14 drilling points that are believed to have the potential to open access to where the soccer team is taking refuge in the cave.
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| Rescuers put large pipes into the cave to pump water out. Photo: AFP |
Thai media quoted Mr. Thanes Weerasin, President of the Engineering Institute of Thailand and the chief engineer in the rescue operation of the trapped youth football team, as saying that experts are examining a newly discovered large tunnel up to 100m deep, where they can drill down and create a passage to help the trapped people escape.
According to Mr. Weerasin, the beginning of this tunnel is a large hole, about 1.2 x 1m in size, and rescuers can get to the bottom of the hole by lowering a rope and then can use positioning equipment to move towards the trapped football team.
He said that after advancing 20 meters, the engineers discovered another passageway blocked by a large rock. Using specialized exploration equipment, they discovered behind this rock was a tunnel that extended another 10 meters.
Mr Weerasin believes the tunnel would bring him very close to where the boys and their coach are hiding.
The discovery of the new tunnel opens up a new option for rescue teams, as current main rescue plans may become ineffective due to heavy rains expected to hit the Tham Luang cave area.
Experts have warned that heavy rain could cause the Tham Luang cave to flood deeper in the coming days, making the boys' scuba diving escape even more dangerous.
Meanwhile, there has been information that the oxygen concentration in the cave has dropped to 15%, while the normal level is 21%, posing a danger to both victims and rescuers.
At a press conference on the morning of July 6, Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osatanakorn said rescuers are trying to bring a 5km long pipeline to the location where the soccer team is taking refuge to provide air for the children.
The issue of oxygen shortage has received special attention after the tragic incident in the early morning of July 6 when a former member of the navy special forces participating in the rescue died due to lack of oxygen on the way back out of the cave./.
