Nine days after the team went missing, a rescue team found all of them alive in a cave. The boys are from ages eleven to sixteen and their coach, Ekapol Chathawong is twenty-five.
It is hard to imagine how the team being trapped in an enclosed cave with no light, food, and surrounded by unsanitary water would have felt. Anxiety? Fear? Hopelessness? They most likely wonder if they were ever going to be found and rescued. But as a team, they helped one another conquer their fears which made them grow stronger together.
Once they were discovered, they were calmly sitting on a rocky slope and lighten with hope as the rescue team assured that more help was arriving. They were asking for food and updates of the World Cup. No one was found crying or breaking down. No obstacle can break the bravery and courage they have. No tragedy can destroy the innocence they have.
Picture from CNN
Even after being found, they were presented with new fears and struggles of escaping that hell hole. Many of them are weak swimmers, and the rescue teams are responsible for saving them.
The rescue teams also show acts of courage as they knew how risky the mission is. For many days, the rain poured harder which increase water levels, and oxygen levels were gradually falling. It became clear that there was limited time to save the boys. Therefore experts were sent in to teach them how to use scuba gear.
The most hazardous part of the long journey is the first kilometer where the divers and the boys are obligated to squeeze through a narrow channel. Each boy was lead by two divers underwater to guide them in the dark and dusky water. One was in front of them to hold the boy's oxygen tanks in front of them while the other was behind to make sure they would get out of the cave smoothly.
Picture from CNN
These harsh conditions resulted with one Thai Navy SEAL, Saman Kunan dead during the first week of the mission. His death didn't stop the team from protecting the boys and their coach. Instead, they kept going trying to help them furthermore. Due to their bravery, they have become heroes and will be forever be honored.
On Sunday, July 8, four of the boys were rescued out of the cave and are recovering at a nearby hospital. Four more boys were pulled out of the cave, on Monday, July 9, and carried out on stretchers. The last remaining boys and their coach were rescued on Tuesday, July 10, and taken to the hospital.
The families decided to stay at the cave until all of the boys and the soccer coach are out of the cave. They, too have also united hopeful wanting this catastrophe to end.
