Successful end in Thai rescue ordeal

All safe and sound. A happy ending in the story of the 12 children and their soccer coach who were trapped by rising water in a cave in northern Thailand on June 23. The rescue operation was successfully completed yesterday when the last four children and the coach were brought to the surface. The success was dampened only by the death on Friday of a diver who participated in the operation.

The final stage was of greater concern to the rescuers than the first two as it was carried out under an intense deluge which threatened to raise the water level inside the already flooded caverns the divers and children needed to pass through to reach safety.

The children were not alone during the ordeal. From the moment they were located, a doctor and three marines remained with them and were also part of the last group to exit the caverns. In total a team of 18 divers was involved, working in rotation.

As with the children in the first groups, the final four and the coach were transfered to a hospital for a medical examination and have since remained in quarantine. It is reported that all arte in good health but weakened by the ordeal and as such, more susceptible to infections. For this reason, so far none of them have been in direct contact with family members but they have been able to see each other through protective screens.

The children entered the cave to escape a storm, typical of the monsoon season in the area and soon became trapped. The were located by searchers who found their bicycles at the cave entrance and divers began the search. Initially it was though the rescue would be a slow process but authorities decided to act quickly given the deterioration in weather conditions.