Divers complete rescue of soccer team in Thailand

UPDATE: The medic and the three Thai navy SEAL divers who stayed with the trapped members of a boys soccer team and their coach have left the flooded cave in northern Thailand, according to acting provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn. He said all four are in great condition and noted, “We did something nobody thought possible.”

OUR EARLIER REPORT (9 a.m.): Divers on Tuesday rescued the last four boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in northern Thailand. The Thai navy SEALS confirmed that all 12 boys and their coach, trapped for more than two weeks, are safe. The team of expert divers removed the last four boys and their coach from the cave on Tuesday after rescuing four boys on Sunday and four more on Monday. The SEALs said on their Facebook page that one medic and three navy SEALS who stayed with the boys are still in the cave. Acting provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn, who led the operation, said Tuesday’s mission involved 19 divers.

Rainfall trapped the boys and their coach in the cave on June 23, when they went exploring after a practice game. Jedsada Chokdumrongsuk, permanent secretary at the Public Health Ministry said at a Tuesday news conference the rescued boys are “healthy and smiling” but remain in isolation as medical tests continue. At least two of the boys showed signs of a lung infection, he added. “Everyone is in high spirits and are happy to get out,” Jedsada said. “But we will have a psychiatrist to evaluate them.”