Thailand - FOUND ALIVE - 12 Boys And Coach Still Trapped In Cave , 23 June 2018 #2

[WichitaFalls]

Former Thai navy Seal diver Saman Kunan dies from lack of air inside cave
Maintaining air supplies has emerged as a key challenge as rescuers face the prospect of the boys sitting out the monsoon inside the cave

• Thailand cave rescue: latest updates - live
• Former Thai navy Seal diver Saman Kunan dies from lack of air inside cave

 

[creepcrusher]

Florian Nusch on Twitter
It’s still unclear how long the boys can survive with only 15% of oxygen left. #Thailand officials insist diving out remains the main plan despite the danger.

 

[kkdj]

How much water will they be able to keep out during the monsoons? The boys are currently on a ledge surround by water. This area in the cave allegedly always stays dry, but what if it becomes submerged this year?

BBM
It does?

 

[thesensitivechild]

Could they possibly have enough supplies by now to last them the four months? I doubt the divers could get them everything they may need to sufficiently hydrate and feed them etc.

 

[kkdj]

Could they possibly have enough supplies by now to last them the four months? I doubt the divers could get them everything they may need to sufficiently hydrate and feed them etc.

Could they send drones to carry supplies?

 

[SunVenus]

Good luck giving it up! I agree. Bad day for that! Hopefully tomorrow will be a great day to give up smoking!

Yes! Tomorrow! I am hoping for a much better tomorrow.

Thank you Creepcrusher for the encouragement. *hugs*

 

[WichitaFalls]

Level of oxygen in cave has dropped

The level of oxygen in the cave where the boys are trapped has dropped to 15%, authorities have confirmed. The usual level is around 21%.

Asked how long that would last the boys, deputy commander Chalongchai Chaiyakham replied: “I’m not a medical person, I can’t answer that.”

Maintaining air supplies inside the cave emerged as a key challenge on Friday as rescuers faced the prospect of the boys remaining underground throughout the monsoon season that ends in October.

The presence of hundreds of rescue workers inside the cave has been depleting the air supplies the boys have been relying on, Narongsak Osatanakorn, the governor of Chiang Rai province said at a briefing on Friday.

It was during a mission to place air tanks along the route to the boys, the current method for refreshing the air supply in the cave, that the former Seal, identified as Saman Kunan, died around 1am on Friday morning.

Thailand cave rescue: former navy diver dies during operation – live

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

Florian Nusch on Twitter
It’s still unclear how long the boys can survive with only 15% of oxygen left. #Thailand officials insist diving out remains the main plan despite the danger.

There was an Aussie article last night about how they were pumping O2 into the cave.

 

[kkdj]

There was an Aussie article last night about how they were pumping O2 into the cave.

Good to hear they are already doing this. I didn't realize they already had it all set up.

 

[katydid23]

I know that now, we are back to 'let's wait it out' until they can walk out safely.

But what about the earlier articles, predicting that the monsoons could bring huge floods that can quickly cut off access to the boys and may even flood them out from their current high ground. They said that pumps cannot keep up with heavy rains.

These articles said that rescuers would be cut off from sending in supplies and they , and whomever stays with them, will be on their own for weeks or months.

That sounds like slow torture that might have a very tragic ending.

I am very concerned that taking the 'safe' way out may not be safe at all.

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

Good to hear they are already doing this. I didn't realize they already had it all set up.

Articles posted tonight make it appear that this occurred only recently, but this article was published 17 hours ago. At lunch, I read they were pumping in O2.

 

[WichitaFalls]

The mood darkens in #ThamLuang with the death of a former seal, gathering rainclouds and the emergence of dwindling air supplies as a major challenge to keeping the 12 Thai boys safe for what may be a four-month stay
michael safi (@safimichael) | Twitter

 

[jjenny]

I know that now, we are back to 'let's wait it out' until they can walk out safely.

But what about the earlier articles, predicting that the monsoons could bring huge floods that can quickly cut off access to the boys and may even flood them out from their current high ground. They said that pumps cannot keep up with heavy rains.

These articles said that rescuers would be cut off from sending in supplies and they , and whomever stays with them, will be on their own for weeks or months.

That sounds like slow torture that might have a very tragic ending.

I am very concerned that taking the 'safe' way out may not be safe at all.

There doesn't appear to be a way to get them out right now so it seems they don't have a choice. I also don't think it's safe at all to have them stay there for months, but if they can't get them out now, what else can they do?

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

If they use a flexible pipe to pump oxygen through the pathway to the boys, it could develop a kink in the line or a hole. How will the boys get oxygen for the next 4 months if that occurs? It has been expressed that it may be too dangerous for divers to reach the boys during the 4-month monsoon season.

This is another reason why a hole needs to be drilled down to the boys.

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

It's also possible a lateral hole could be drilled over to the boys. This wouldn't require heavy equipment on top of the mountain above the boys' cavern.
Directional drilling - Wikipedia

 

[kkdj]

I feel so bad for these kids and their coach. What a terrible dilemma. Their families must be beside themselves!

 

[eucalyptuz]

When I think of the amazing feats of humans I really think we can do this!
From travels in Thailand, I know the people to be hard-working, resourceful, resilient and yet very stoic. I hope that this blow to the mission doesn’t crush spirits...sending hope and positive vibes across the oceans and mountains.

Goodnight kindred folk here! It is strangely reassuring that there are so many of us churning over anxious thoughts about this boys soccer team on another continent...

 

[SeesSeas]

It's also possible a lateral hole could be drilled over to the boys. This wouldn't require heavy equipment on top of the mountain above the boys' cavern.
Directional drilling - Wikipedia

These photos show the scale and complexity of the efforts to rescue the Thai soccer team stuck in a flooded cave
Another option is to drill down into the cave and rescue them through a hole.

Thai air force workers and drill experts preparing for a scouting flight by helicopter.
Linh Pham/Getty Images

 

[thesensitivechild]

“Asked how long that would last the boys, deputy commander Chalongchai Chaiyakham replied: “I’m not a medical person, I can’t answer that.”

Not looking good. They said they may have to wait four months to get the boys. What they didn’t say is the real fact that they might be returning to bodies. Ugh

 

[WichitaFalls]

Maybe some promising news?
Thailand cave rescue: former navy diver dies during operation – live

The chief engineer involved in the rescue mission has told the Guardian that he thinks a team may be able to drill down to where the boys are located and get them out that way.

Drilling was previously believed to be too dangerous an option, given the small space the boys and their coach are trapped in, and the fact that they are believed to be between 800m and 1km below the surface.

Schematic of where the boys are trapped.
Thai authorities are progressing several different plans at once to try to reach the boys – including drilling a hole from the top of the mountain to find them. Thanes Weerasin, the president of the Engineering Institute of Thailand, who is supervising a drilling crew currently in the jungle above the boys, told the Guardian he was exploring one particularly promising tunnel with with a large hole about 100m into it.

“It’s a big hole, about 1.2m by 1m,” he said. “You can go down using a rope … I think this place can lead to the children because after your foot touches the ground below, you can walk through using the compass and direct it to the tunnel [where the children are stuck].”

About 20m in the direction of the boys, Weerasin said he reached another hole that was obstructed by a boulder. He wedged a borescope through a gap and saw it extended up to another 10m.

He believes the hole could eventually lead to Nom Sao slope, the area past Pattaya Beach where the children and their coach are sheltering. “I think this hole is near there.”