Thailand - FOUND ALIVE - Officials Believe 12 Boys And Coach Trapped In Cave , 23 June 2018

[*Verdigris]

This link I found below shows a very similar incident involving young kids in a flooded cave and it didnt turn out well for everyone. It is depressing to read this article of a very similar incident. How they ended up in the situation is very similar to what happened in this case.

From the archives: Cave flood drowns 4, 3 missing

(rsbm)
In that case you posted, the dolts drove around barricades saying "Road Closed" to get to the cave.
Just ....WHY?

 

[*Verdigris]

Earlier the dailymail (daily fail) had a headline saying authorities accidently pumped water back into the cave. I don’t see that headline any more so either it was bad reporting or true but made to be removed.

Authorities didn't but unregistered volunteers did! I had posted about it a couple pages back...

 

[*Verdigris]

"BANGKOK, 5th July 2018, (NNT) – According to the Deputy Government Spokesperson, the Prime Minister is pleased with the progress of the rescue operation to free the 12 boy footballers and their 25 year old coach, who remain deep inside Tham Luang cave in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai."

PM pleased with progress of rescue operation | Thailand News

He must know more than us? And he doesn't seem worried.

Well, that was a quick read! Does the PM even have any idea what is really going on? Something tells me, no, he doesn't...

 

[CoverMeCagney]

This article has some diagrams, no water levels though.

Thailand cave rescue: where were the boys found and how can they be rescued?

Thanks Elainera, that was it, the schematic view, couldn't for the life of me remember what it was called!

 

[Hatfield]

Im glad that the other day we read how they were trying to expand the pumping and electric generators.

That should help reduce water levels but I am concerned that once the really bad rains start then any pumping may not be able to keep up with the influx of water. The views of the flooded rice fields gives us an idea of how much water we are talking about. Lots and lots of water.

Farmers register for compensation as cave water submerges rice fields - The Nation

Selfless farmers allow farms to be flooded for cave operation - The Nation

 

[Tssiemer]

O/T
I got the job.

So back to worrying about the boys. I know I haven’t posted but I’ve been here since the beginning. I don’t see how their conditions can improve in a cave....

 

[*Verdigris]

Please could someone re-post the mapped images of the cave if they have them to hand, the ones that show the layout, passages and water levels? Much appreciated.

I've just started to try to gather them together... I thought I had saved them, but only found one.
I'll post them when I get them, if someone doesn't beat me to it. (And by all means, please do so, if anyone is able!)

 

[Elainera]

I hope that the reluctance to bring them out now is in part due to locals reporting that they know the area the boys are at now never fully floods. They might be able to discern this by looking at the rock walls. This is however no guarantee that this year's monsoon won't be much stronger than previous ones. But maybe they deem the risks to scuba dive them out even greater?

 

[beatrixpotter]

(rsbm)
In that case you posted, the dolts drove around barricades saying "Road Closed" to get to the cave.
Just ....WHY?

I wonder what happened to the adults who ignored all those warnings and took the kids in the caves?

 

[Elainera]

O/T
I got the job.

Well congrats!

 

[Tssiemer]

I've just started to try to gather them together... I thought I had saved them, but only found one.
I'll post them when I get them, if someone doesn't beat me to it. (And by all means, please do so, if anyone is able!)

Yeah we should be getting a new thread soon.

 

[Elley Mae]

In reference to the ppl scouring the top are bird nest collectors that are very good at climbing.

O/T they eat the birds nest. Yuk


Eta

A team of bird’s nest collectors from the south of the country have also put their rock-climbing expertise to use by scouring the mountainside for any openings, according to AFP. The eight men, armed only with ropes and gloves, climb sheer limestone cliffs and explore crevices and caves to collect the edible nests, which are a delicacy.

Thai soccer team might be able to walk out of caves without using diving gear, official says

"Poonsak Woongsatngiem, a rescue official with Thailand’s interior ministry, told the Guardian the water had been reduced by 40% in the past few days, clearing a 1.5km stretch of dark, jagged and muddy cave channels that the boys would need to traverse."

"The focus of Thursday’s operations is a third major basin along the route where water still reaches to the ceiling."

"Clearing the third basin would leave another 2.5km of path to the boys, whose ages range from 11 to 16. A Chinese diver at the site, Wang Ying Jie, said about half that remaining path would be walkable in the right conditions; the maximum water depth they would need to cross is about six metres."

"Wang said most of the boys remained in good health but three had intestinal issues and were in some pain."

"Officials were also scouring the jungle above the complex to find new openings that could be drilled to extract the boys more easily. The children were breathing, he said, so there was very likely a shaft somewhere to the top.“We have around 20 to 30 teams surveying on top to find the closest and most precise spot,” he said."

Thai cave rescue: army drains site in bid to free boys before monsoon

 

[Hatfield]

Thanks Elainera, that was it, the schematic view, couldn't for the life of me remember what it was called!

That schematic view was one of the better ones.

I also found this link below that has some pretty good maps. The 3rd or 4th picture down has a schematic type view too

Thai cave rescue: army drains site in bid to free boys before monsoon

 

[Hatfield]

I hope that the reluctance to bring them out now is in part due to locals reporting that they know the area the boys are at now never fully floods. They might be able to discern this by looking at the rock walls. This is however no guarantee that this year's monsoon won't be much stronger than previous ones. But maybe they deem the risks to scuba dive them out even greater?

Ive been reading and trying to find out how water enters into a cave complex and the discouraging thing is water usually enters from multiple ways. So I dont think they can really stop it from entering. I think it enters into the cave from many spots which include cracks and crevices and runoff from multiple places.

That is what is so concerning to me about the pumping attempt. I am afraid that once the really bad rains come that the pumping may be overwhelmed by the influx of water.

Lets hope the area they are in never floods all the way to the roof.

If they elect to keep them there then I hope they have plenty of bottles of oxygen and leave them the scuba masks. Because if it totally floods then their only option will be to put on the masks and start breathing with the masks.

Brings up a question. Can a scuba diver change out a tank while underwater? Not sure if anyone knows if this is possible or not.

 

[1&2&3]

O/T
I got the job.

So back to worrying about the boys. I know I haven’t posted but I’ve been here since the beginning. I don’t see how their conditions can improve in a cave....

Congratulations on your new job!!

 

[enelram]

OT- thai tourist boats overturn in heavy storm- 120 in water
Phuket News: Phuket tour boats struck by storm, rescue mission launched

 

[bluedivergirl]

Ive been reading and trying to find out how water enters into a cave complex and the discouraging thing is water usually enters from multiple ways. So I dont think they can really stop it from entering. I think it enters into the cave from many spots which include cracks and crevices and runoff from multiple places.

That is what is so concerning to me about the pumping attempt. I am afraid that once the really bad rains come that the pumping may be overwhelmed by the influx of water.

Lets hope the area they are in never floods all the way to the roof.

If they elect to keep them there then I hope they have plenty of bottles of oxygen and leave them the scuba masks. Because if it totally floods then their only option will be to put on the masks and start breathing with the masks.

Brings up a question. Can a scuba diver change out a tank while underwater? Not sure if anyone knows if this is possible or not.

Yes, they can. They could hold their breath if they are fast. Otherwise, they could rely on a pony tank - a small back-up air supply - while they change out the main tank.

The skill level these divers have is incredible. You could throw them blindfolded in one end of a pool, their gear tied in knots on the other end, and they could find it and put it on.

I don't know if they still teach recreational divers how to remove, reassemble, and then put their gear back on, including your mask, but it was mandatory back in 1991.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Seeing the boys has boosted the mood of their family members, and officials are working to install an internet cable to the cave so that parents can talk to their children.

Rescuers race to drain water inside Thai cave before rains

 

[enelram]

From the SCUBA Forum-
2:55pm Friday- Emergency crews rushed to the cave after report that at least 2 rescue workers have been electrocuted by an
electrical wire inside the cave. Information is scant as it just happened but the reports say the power has now been turned off
temporarily.
4:30pm Friday- Chiang Rai Govenor has denied the report and stated 1 rescue volunteer simply fainted inside the cave and has been taken to hospital and is in safe condition.
Who You Gonna Believe???

 

[1&2&3]

When I posted last night I was trying to not be alarming as I stated my thoughts. However, honestly, my intuition told me there was no way diving these boys out of that cave was going to work.

Having been around pools all my life, watching children start swim lessons, or seeing children come to a pool who have never been before, the fear on their faces of the water is a terrifying look. So to get these trapped boys into murky water, told to breathe through this mask, carry this heavy tank, and it will be about a five hour journey, I cannot see a successful rescue! Add to their weakness of no food and mental stress, it adds up to a disaster.

It may be the only way out, but these boys and coach need to be carried out in some manner wherever possible. We don’t expect mountain climbers or skiers lost for days to get back to base on their own two feet.

My opinions only.