The operation to free the children from the flooded cave in northern Thailand began on Monday morning, after a break of several hours after the completion of its first leg, during which the first four boys were safely released.
Rescuers released another boy today and the rescue operation is underway.
It is worth noting that in the second leg of the operation, the same international group of divers participates as those who did the release on Sunday, with some additions. Earlier, divers had re-entered the cave to place more oxygen cylinders on the underwater route, a time-consuming process that delayed the start of the second leg.
The head of the mission, Narongsak Osotanakorn, expressed hope that in the coming hours "there will be good news" and added that "we are using more rescuers than yesterday, but from the same international team that released the first four children".
The Minister of Interior confirmed that the first four rescued students are in good health and are undergoing thorough medical examinations.
The four children who were rescued yesterday are being kept away from their relatives due to fears of infections, while their names have not been made public out of respect for the families of those who remain in the cave. Rescuers decided yesterday to proceed with the dangerous mission for fear of rising water levels.
It is noted that thirteen medical teams were out of the cave from the day the team was located, each equipped with its own helicopter and ambulance, one for each of the 12 children and their coach. When the first 4 children came out of the cave, they were examined and then taken to a hospital in the neighboring city of Chiang Rai.
The rescued children had to dive and swim a distance of one kilometer.