Thailand cave rescue - LIVE: Latest updates as medics reach 12 boys and football coach trapped underground

Boys found alive in cave in Thailand

Thai Navy SEALs say medics have now reached the 12 boys and their football coach after they were found alive in a cave in northern Thailand.

SEAL commander rear admiral Arpakorn Yookongkaew said seven members of his unit - including a doctor and a nurse - are now with the group.

Rescuers are racing to pump water from the Tham Luang Nang Non Cave before the predicted arrival of heavy rain, which would complicate efforts to free the team, who have been trapped 1km underground for the last 10 days.

But it is thought the boys, who cannot swim, will either have to learn to swim and then to scuba dive through very narrow passages, or face waiting as long as four months for waters to subside.

Mr Yookongkaew told a news conference his team members "have given the boys food, starting from easily digested and high-powered food with enough minerals".

He said that having the boys dive out of the cave was one of several options being considered. If it were employed, he said they "have to be certain that it will work and have to have a drill to make that it's 100 percent safe".

In video shot by British divers as the group were found, torchlight reveals boys in shorts and red and blue shirts in an underground cavern beside an expanse of water.

With the onset of the rainy season, Thai navy captain Anand Surawan had initially warned the group could be trapped for months.

"[We will] prepare to send additional food to be sustained for at least four months and train all 13 to dive while continuing to drain the water,” he said.

Police have said the 25-year-old football coach who led the team into the cave network could face legal action.

An international team of divers, including from Britain, struggled through narrow passages and murky waters to find the boys, aged between 11-16, and their coach late on Monday night on an elevated rock about 2.5 miles from the mouth of the cave.

"How many of you are there - 13? Brilliant," a member of the multinational rescue team, speaking in English, tells the boys. "You have been here 10 days. You are very strong."

News of the boys' survival sparked jubilation in a nation that has been gripped by the harrowing drama.

"Thank you," one of the boys says.

One boy asks when they will get out, to which the rescuer answers: "Not today. You have to dive."

The boys were found in weak condition, but with only minor injuries.

Interior minister Anupong Paochinda said rescuers needed to intensify efforts to reduce water levels in the cave.

Rain continued to fall in Chiang Rai on Tuesday and was forecast to intensify from Wednesday.

Additional reporting by Reuters

Key Points

• Authorities may attempt rescue ahead of rain expected later this week
• Phone line to be installed so trapped children can talk to parents

[3 July 2018 13:09 · Adam Withnall]

Hello and welcome to The Independent's live coverage as Thai authorities, supported by an international team of experts, attempt to rescue a dozen boys and a football coach trapped in a cave for the last 10 days.

[3 July 2018 13:25 · Adam Withnall]

What we know so far: 

- A dozen boys and their football coach have been trapped for 10 days in the Tham Luang Nang Non Cave in northern Thailand. 

- On Monday, British divers found the group 2.5 miles from the mouth of the cave, huddled on a ledge about water. 

- The Thai navy had warned it could potentially take months to rescue the group. 

- Medics have arrived to examine the group, who have been provided with food and supplies. 

- Thailand's interior minister suggested the rescue attempt would be made over the next couple of days, ahead of more rain.

- 25-year-old coach could face legal action.

[3 July 2018 13:26 · Adam Withnall]

[3 July 2018 13:33 · Adam Withnall]

Despite a warning of "months", it now appears Thai authorities are going to attempt to extract the children ahead of fresh rains expected later this week.

“As rain is forecast in the next few days, the evacuation must speed up. Diving gear will be used. If the water rises, the task will be difficult. We must bring the kids out before then,” Anupong Paojinda, the interior minister, said according to the Bangkok Post.

“Diving is not easy. Those who have never done it will find it difficult, because there are narrow passages in the cave. They must be able to use diving gear. If the gear is lost at any moment, it can be dangerous to life.”

[3 July 2018 13:50 · Adam Withnall]

The US ambassador to Thailand has expressed satisfaction with the first stage of the rescue.

A US military team of about 30 specialists flew in from overseas to assist in the rescue mission. 

Ambassador Glyn Davies said: "The American people join Thais in celebrating the discovery of the football team and their coach in Tham Luang cave. We will continue to support Thai authorities in their efforts to safely bring home the players and their coach." 

[3 July 2018 14:05 · Adam Withnall]

The chief organiser of the rescue effort has said discussions are underway about the safest way of extracting the group. 

"We won't bring them out until we find a totally safe way," said Chiang Rai province governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn.

[3 July 2018 14:20 · Adam Withnall]

A phone line will be installed for the group to talk to the outside world later today, according to a reporter in Bangkok.

[3 July 2018 14:35 · Adam Withnall]

Local media say the boys have been brought food and mineral salts by diving experts to rebuild their strength. The group survived on next to no food or fresh water.

[3 July 2018 14:47 · Adam Withnall]

Ben Reymenants, who was around 400m behind the British team who found the boys, told Sky News authorities have limited options going forward. One would be to teach the children to scuba dive, another would be attempting to pump the water out of the cave. 

[3 July 2018 15:06 · Adam Withnall]

Lisa Dowd, a Sky News reporter, has some detail about Richard Stanton, one of the two British divers to locate the children.