UPDATE: Thai Soccer Team Could be Released From Hospital Thursday

Ordeal began June 23

 

All 12 boys and their soccer coach have been rescued from a water-filled tomb in Thailand. They had been trapped for more than two weeks after the cave, which they had been exploring, flooded.

But their ordeal is not over yet.

They will spend at least seven days quarantined at hospital; doctors checking their health, checking for signs of disease. Two of the boys may have lung infections.

The boys – aged between 11 and 16, and a 25-year-old assistant coach – disappeared  June 23 during an outing to the Tham Luang cave, which runs for 10 km beneath the mountains in northern Thailand.

It was July 2 when two British divers found them after struggling for hours through narrow passages and murky waters.

In recent days, a team of Navy Seals worked its way through the tunnel, some of it underwater for long stretches, setting up breathing stations and providing the team with fresh water, food and blankets. One of the Seals died, running out of oxygen while making his way through the tunnels.

Once the necessary precautions were in place a team of 18 divers and hundreds above ground began the process of guiding the boys and their coach to safety. It took three days to complete the task.

The rescue was an international effort with teams from Britain, China, Australia and the U.S. providing expertise.

banner image via The Australian