The adventure of the twelve children and their coach in Thailand had a happy ending, after a mission that is already described as a miracle. The rescue operation lasted three weeks and caught the eye of the whole planet. It was not a few times that hope almost died but in the end the professionalism, the stubbornness and the will to save our 13 fellow human beings won.
More than 1000 people took part in the operation to rescue the children and their coach, and they worked 24 hours a day to carry out their assigned mission.
The names of the children and their ages
Who were the kids and their coach?
The children, aged 11 to 16 and their coach, come from the Wild Boars football team.
The 25-year-old football coach is Ekkapol Chantawong.
How and why they entered the cave
The children and their coach entered the Tham Luang Cave in Chiang Rai Province on June 23.
A Dutch diver who was part of the rescue team that found the boys told Sky News that they participated in a ritual.
The boys had left their bicycles, backpacks and shoes outside the compound “before entering the cave.
How they were trapped in the cave and how they were found
Due to the severe weather conditions and specifically due to the rains, the cave was flooded, resulting in them being trapped underground.
However, there was a sign outside the cave warning visitors of possible flooding.
The traces of the group disappeared where they left their bicycles and backpacks and as they showed no signs of life, their relatives began to worry.
Several days of searching were spent by their relatives, rescue teams and citizens who rushed to help.
As the days went by, the more the anxiety for their life peaked.
The children and their coach were finally found alive by rescue divers on Monday, July 2, after 9 days of searching and agony.
The 13 were hungry and suffering, but in good condition, even though they had spent nine days in the cave.
Η Sura Jeetwatee, a doctor of the rescue team, stated that the team survived with the drinking water dripping from the stalactite formations
What was the rescue plan?
Rescuers were literally fighting a battle with water and time. The dramatic decrease in oxygen levels and the heavy rain that fell made their work extremely difficult and dangerous.
Rescue teams were working tirelessly to drain the flooded cave with pipes. According to the plan, the children should be divided into groups of four to be released.
Rescuers had provided the team with food, while oxygen cylinders were placed in the cave for diving needs.
Each team member would be released with two divers, one of whom would be in front of the track with the team member and the other behind.
The divers instructed the boys on how to swim and how to dive, as some of them had no previous experience.
Who were the rescuers?
The rescue operation involved hundreds of sailors, soldiers, police, government officials and volunteers from around the world.
The operation involved thirteen world-class specialist divers who arrived in Thailand from countries with relevant expertise in speleology and five members of the Thai Navy's SEAL unit.
Cave explorer Emily Davis said the rescuers were the best of their kind but should be on alert and reserved just in case.
Who was the Thai cave diver who lost his life?
Social media users are posting urging people not to forget Saman Gunan, the diver who died earlier this week in an attempt to transfer supplies to trapped boys.
Saman Gunan, voluntarily participated in the rescue operation of the children in the cave. He was a former soldier member of the Navy SEAL pparticipated in the business as a volunteer, as did many of his former colleagues and other diving experts.
The unfortunate diver was left without oxygen in his attempt to transfer supplies to the trapped team.
The rescue plan was implemented
On July 8, the rescue plan took action. The children's relatives watched the rescue operation with bated breath, while thousands of social media users rushed to give courage to the children and their relatives through their posts.
Thirteen medical staffs, one for each child and their coach, were waiting ready to help outside the cave. Each staff consists of a helicopter and an ambulance. Reuters reported that five emergency doctors were waiting for the children at Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital, while another 30 doctors were on standby.
At 14:20 on July 8, the first reports from the Thai media about the rescue of two children began. Around 18:00 in the afternoon, it was confirmed by the head of the company that the first four children were rescued and taken to the hospital.
Feelings of relief prevailed across the globe to save the first four children, but anxiety peaked over the fate of the other eight children and their coach.
The operation was stopped and resumed the next day.
On the morning of July 9, the rescue operation for the rest of the group started again. Rescuers successfully rescued four more boys. The rescue was stopped again and started today.
Happy ending to the adventure
The thriller ended with the third phase of the titanic rescue operation of the children and their coach who were trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand. Authorities confirmed that all the children and their coach were released safely from the cave.