The 12 young Thai soccer players stranded inside a partly flooded cave appeared in a new video Wednesday, saying they were healthy and in good spirits — as they were getting a crash course in swimming and diving.
The youngsters and their coach are seen sitting with Thai navy SEALs, wraped in foil warming blankets while illuminated by a flashlight in their darkened trap during their harrowing 11-day ordeal.
In the roughly minute-long video, the boys take turns introducing themselves, folding their hands together in a traditional greeting, giving their names and saying they are healthy.
A young player wears what appears to be the red jersey of the England soccer team in Tuesday’s World Cup second-round victory over Colombia. Another wears the blue shirt of English team Chelsea.
Medical personnel were providing medicines and food while experts assessed conditions for getting them out safely, a task that the government said would not be easy.
“The water is very strong and space is narrow. Extracting the children takes a lot of people,” Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters, according to Reuters.
“Now we are teaching the children to swim and dive,” he said, adding that if water levels fell and the flow weakened, they would be taken out quickly.
The Thai official overseeing the rescue operation said the boys and their coach may not all be extracted at the same time, depending on their physical conditions.
Chiang Rai provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said Wednesday that “all 13 may not come out at the same time. If the condition is right and if that person is ready 100 percent, he can come out.”
Meanwhile, authorities are working with SEALs to run a fiber-optic internet cable. Communication technician Phoowanart Keawdum said that once the line is installed, phone calls to the cave will be possible.
Authorities tried to do the same Tuesday, but the equipment was damaged by the water.
The boys, ages 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach disappeared after they went exploring in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in northern Chiang Rai province after a soccer game June 23.
The teammates, who became trapped inside when heavy rains flooded the cave, were found by rescue divers Monday night during a desperate search that drew assistance from experts around the world.
Authorities said the boys, who had also been shown Tuesday in a video shot by the British diver who discovered them, were being looked after by seven members of the SEALs, including medics, who were staying with them inside the cave.
They were mostly in stable condition and have received high-protein drinks.
In the most recent videos, a SEAL is shown treating minor cuts on the feet and legs of the boys with antibiotic cream. Several of the boys are seen smiling as they interact with the SEAL as he cracks jokes.
SEAL commander Rear Adm. Arpakorn Yookongkaew said there was no rush to bring the group out of the cave, since they’re safe where they are.
The current flooding situation means the boys would have to dive, which rescue experts have said could be very dangerous.
By late Tuesday, about 120 million liters (32 million gallons) of water had been pumped out, or about 1.6 million every hour.
But officials said that heavy rains forecast for this weekend could force them to decide that the boys should swim and dive out using the same narrow passageways through which their rescuers entered.
Osatanakorn said Wednesday that the boys have been practicing wearing diving masks and breathing, but he doesn’t believe they have tried any practice dives.
Seeing the boys has buoyed the spirits of relatives.
Kian Kamluang, whose 16-year-old son, Pornchai, is among the trapped, said she had thought it was a 50 percent chance that her son would be found.
“It’s like he has been given a new life,” she said, adding that she’ll never let her son venture into a cave or near water again.
Somboon Sompiangjai, 38, said his son Peerapat, 16, was able to swim, adding that he was confident the SEALs’ experience and professionalism would let them get the boys home safely.
“I am not worried if the kids have to swim and dive,” he told Reuters. “I felt much better after seeing the clips with the children in good spirits, even though they were in there for 10 days.”
Officials have dismissed as speculation reports that the boys could be trapped for up to four months, although supplies have been prepared for that period of time.
With Post wires
