Photos: The way ahead for Thailand cave rescue after trapped boys found

Thai rescuers vowed to take a "no risk" approach to freeing 12 boys and their football coach from a flooded cave, as fresh video emerged Wednesday showing the team in good spirits following their astonishing discovery nine days after going missing. Rescuing them from the still-submerged cave complex is expected to be a protracted process, fraught with challenges for a group who are not divers and some of whom are believed to be unable to swim. A look at the options and why extracting the group could take some time. ...read more

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Updated on Jul 04, 2018 01:35 PM IST

A spirit and Buddha statue are seen in front of the Tham Luang cave complex. Aged between 11 and 16, twelve soccer players and their 25-year-old coach went missing on June 23, after they set out to explore the caves in a forest park. Now that the group has been found, the next step is determining how to get them safely out of the partly flooded cave in northern Thailand. (Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS)

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Finding the boys took more than nine days, partly because of how difficult it was to move around the cave. The cave floods during Thailand’s rainy season and even elite Thai navy SEAL divers were finding it difficult to move through the muddy waters, currents and tight passageways. (Linh Pham / Getty Images)

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A helicopter transports heavy machinery, used to make a new entrance at the top of cave complex. Backhoes and drilling equipment were sent to the mountain but creating a shaft large enough to extract the boys would be extremely complicated and could take a long time. (Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS)

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Soldiers unload aid supplies near the cave. Supplying those trapped in place is currently the safest option. It would involve bringing food and other supplies to the boys and waiting for water levels to drop, naturally or by pumping out water, or until rescuers can find or create another exit. This could take anywhere from days to weeks to even months due to the ongoing monsoon season. (Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS)

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Soldiers read a map during the search operation. Stretching 10 kilometers and with complicated pathways and narrow corridors, Tham Luang is one of Thailand’s longest and toughest caves to navigate. According to Anmar Mirza, national coordinator of the National Cave Rescue Commission in the US, the main decision is now whether to try to evacuate the boys or to supply them in place. (Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS)

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Weary-faced relatives camped out at the entrance for more than a week, desperately waiting for news from the boys. Relatives spent much of the days praying and were joined by chanting monks and Christian well-wishers singing gospel and reading Bible passages, hoping for a miracle. (Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS)

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British diver Richard William Stanton arrives to the Tham Luang caves. The British Cave Rescue Council, which has members taking part in the operation estimates the boys are around 2 kilometers into the cave and somewhere between 800 meters below the surface. (Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS)

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Water pumping machines at work. While staying put inside the cave seems the best bet, the Meteorological Department has forecasted light rain through Friday followed by heavy rain starting Saturday and continuing through July 10. Such storms could raise water levels in the cave again and complicate supply missions or potential extrication. (Linh Pham / Getty Images)

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Thailand Department of National Parks and Wildlife rescue personnel search for alternate entrances. Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda said as a result of the forecast, the boys may need to swim out using diving gear. He said they would be brought out via the same complicated route through which their rescuers entered but most of the boys can’t swim. (AP)

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Divers inspect the water-filled tunnel in the cave. Diving would be the fastest, but arguably most dangerous, extraction. Getting the boys out could go faster due to the installation of dive lines, extra oxygen tanks left along the way and glow sticks lighting the path. Still, the British Cave Rescue Council has said that there are significant technical challenges and risks to consider. (AFP)

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Image taken from a video provided by the Thai Navy Seal shows the boys with Navy SEALs inside the cave. The video electrified Thailand and paved the way for an astonishing rescue. The first visuals of the “Wild Boar” football team and evidence of their survival lit up a country that has followed every turn in the painstaking rescue that at times looked forlorn. (AP)

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Family members of a missing boy celebrate following news that all members of the team were alive. However, just one individual panicking in the water could have a disastrous ripple effect. As per experts once communication lines are established families must keep their cool and have stressed on the necessity of a good leader who can turn this experience into “an adventure as opposed to a challenge.” (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)