Thai cave rescue: Good conditions for extracting trapped boys, soccer coach

[Ulquiorra]

A RESCUE of the boys’ soccer team trapped underground in a Thai cave may be imminent, with conditions favourable for an extraction.

The area around a cave in northern Thailand where a dozen boys and their soccer coach have been trapped is being cleared in readiness for the rescue operation.

The announcement from authorities came as dark monsoon rain clouds loomed over the mountainous north of the country early on Sunday, potentially heightening risks at the cave where rescuers were still waging a "war with water and time" to save the 12 trapped boys and their coach.

"Assessing the situation now, it is necessary to evacuate the area for the rescue operation," said Mae Sai police commander Komsan Sa-ardluan over a loudspeaker.

"Those unrelated to the rescue operation, please evacuate the area immediately."

The boys, aged between 11 and 16, went missing with the 25-year-old after soccer practice on June 23 after they set out to explore the Tham Luang cave complex in a forest park near by the border with Myanmar.

Following a relatively dry spell, fresh torrential downpours could pose a setback to rescuers who have struggled to drain the Tham Luang cave complex in the northern province of Chiang Rai.

Weather.com forecast sustained thunderstorms lasting through Sunday and Monday, with further stormy weather expected for around the next two weeks.

Narongsak Osottanakorn, a former provincial governor leading the effort said the "ideal time" for a rescue could come in the next two or three days.

"We're still at war with water and time," he told reporters.

Reporters on the ground in Thailand believe a rescue may be underway or at least imminent.

The Thai governor in charge of rescuing 12 boys and their soccer coach says the co-operating weather and falling water levels over the past few days have created conditions for an attempted extraction of the group.