Chiang Rai: The rescue is on
The evacuation is currently underway. The Chiang Rai Governor says the rescue mission started at 10am this morning and could take all of today and into tonight to complete. If all goes well they expect to bring the first footballer out around 9pm.
The 13 trapped football team members are said to be ‘ready to go home’. They are in good spirits, according to divers that have had contact with them. Medical experts have evaluated them as fit for the rigorous evacuation.
5 Thai Navy Seals and 13 foreign experts are currently inside the cave heading the evacuation.
The 4 kilometre evacuation route has ‘triage’ units set up along the way and the group will be brought out in stages along the route, not one at a time. Each teenager and their 25 year old coach will have two divers each guiding them through the difficult journey.
The Governor says the first person out should be around 9pm tonight if the carefully planned rescue goes according to schedule.
Rescuers had their hand forced with the impending heavy rains in the next few days.
They say this is the best of the very difficult choices they have had to make. Media were moved from the main area around the caves at 9am, Thai time.
The families have given their blessing for the rescue to go ahead, as planned.
