Thailand boys were sedated, strapped onto stretcher and extricated from flooded cave

Since most of the boys could not swim and no one had diving experience, each one of them had to be sedated and strapped onto stretchers with full face masks and passed along the passageways.

The brave boys smile at the camera inside the caves (Royal Thai Navy Facebook Page via AP, File)

A day after the nerve-wracking rescue of all 12 boys trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand, it emerged that deft planning, calculated risk-taking, international cooperation, a whole lot of grit and pure chance went into what was finally a successful operation.

Since most of the boys could not swim and no one had diving experience, each one of them had to be sedated and strapped onto stretchers with full face masks and passed along the twisting, narrow passageways to extricate them. To prevent anxiety issues, they were given a minor tranquiliser shot.
There were anxious moments aplenty like the one shortly after the last boy was rescued. Rescuers heard screams of panic as the main pumps failed and water started rising in Chamber Three. The 100-plus team managed to pull itself out safely.

The operations had an Indian angle, too, as Pune-based Kirloskar Bros supplied heavy-duty pumps and flew in personnel to dewater the tunnels.The boys and their coach were spotted quite by chance on July 2 by British diver John Volanthen. He had used guide lines to scour the complex. When he reached the end of the line, he claimed he fastened it in mud underwater and surfaced to find the boys staring at him. Had Volanthen’s line been shorter by 15 ft, he could have possibly missed them. Destiny, happily, decided otherwise. Hooyah!

They cheated death and are the toast of the world. Hooyah!

The 12 boys rescued from a Thai cave where they were trapped by floodwater since June 23, are now happily in hospital. They will stay quarantined till their immune systems recover and possibly catch football WC matches on TV

Happy-sad ending for expert australian medic, diver

World-renowned medic and diver Richard Harris (pic) was reportedly the last person to leave the water-logged cavern on Tuesday. It was the Australian who medically assessed the 12 boys and their coach and decided in what order they should leave. While the rescue had a happy ending, there was personal sadness for Harris as his father had passed away

Parents get first look

The rescued boys were on Wednesday allowed to see their relatives in a carefully controlled environment, as doctors are still concerned about their health.
Parents were in tears as they looked through the glass. They were not allowed to enter the room where they are being treated, in order to avoid infection.
Three of the boys are being treated for minor cases of pneumonia. Most of them are expected to be discharged after a week.
All the boys lost about 2 kg in weight during their time in the cave.
For 9 days before they were found, the boys didn’t have any food and drank muddy water.