As it happened - lost Thai boys found safe in cave

The two British divers in the video - the first to speak to the boys - flew to Thailand last week to help with the rescue.

The BBC understands they are called Rick Stanton and John Volanthen.

You can read about the pair's other diving exploits here.

The voices of the English rescuers can be heard talking to the trapped children on the first footage from inside the cave.

The boys confirm that there are 13 people altogether.

One rescuer tells the group that they won't be rescued immediately, explaining that "there's only two of us, you have to dive."

But he reassures them: "We're coming, it's OK. Many people are coming, we are the first."

He informs the boys, who have lost all sense of time in the complete darkness, that they have been underground for 10 days, adding: "You're very strong."

The rescuer tells them to go to higher ground, saying he will give them light and that Navy Seals will arrive with food and a doctor on Tuesday.

The children appear to have maintained their curiosity, asking the diver where he is from.

A leading US cave rescue expert says many challenges lie ahead for the rescue divers whose job it is to get the boys out.

Anmar Mirza, co-ordinator of the US National Cave Rescue Commission, says they will have to decide whether to try to evacuate them or to bring them supplies in situ.

“Supplying them on site may face challenges depending on how difficult the dives are. Trying to take non-divers through a cave is one of the most dangerous situations possible, even if the dives are relatively easy,” he told the Associated Press news agency.

He says that “if the dives are difficult, then supply will be difficult, but the risk of trying to dive them out is also exponentially greater”.

There is also the problem of access to fresh water: "If they drink the water in the caves and it makes them sick, it could hasten the problem that they are in, but if they don't drink it, then they are also in trouble," he told AFP news agency.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha thanked the international experts and rescuers who helped locate the missing for their “tremendous efforts”.

"The Royal Thai Government and the Thai people are grateful for this support and co-operation, and we all wish the team a safe and speedy recovery," his office said in a statement.

Thailand's Navy Seals have posted the first video of the Wild Boar team inside the cave.

The BBC's Jonathan Head describes the rescue as "a happy ending that had seemed increasingly hard to believe in".

He reports from Chiang Rai on the obstacles the rescuers will now face.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Thailand has been closely following the plight of the Wild Boar team, which led to an outpouring of support.

Hundreds of volunteers joined the military and police in the search operation.

Prayers and rituals took place for the missing group, with shamans and Buddhist monks praying and giving offerings at the cave imploring mountain "spirits" to return the boys safely.

And here's a map showing where the boys were found in the Tham Luang cave system

BBCCopyright: BBC

The BBC's Howard Johnson has more details about what the [elite navy] Seal unit that located the party has been up to.

Social media users are jubilant that the boys and their coach have been found, and are thanking rescuers.

But concerns remain about safely getting them out of the cave.

When the boys were missing the country turned to social media - you can read about the online messages of hope and support here.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Overjoyed relatives gathered near the cave hugged and smiled as news of the rescue started filtering back to them.

"I'm so glad. I want to him to be physically and mentally fit," said Tinnakorn Boonpiem, whose 12-year-old son, Mongkol, is among the 13, AFP news agency reports.

"I found out from the television. I'm so happy I can't put it into words," another relative told reporters with tears of joy streaming down his cheeks.

Chiang Rai Province Governor Narongsak Osatanakorn delivered the good news to reporters:

"About the 13 missing persons: from the latest report from the [elite navy] Seal unit who went in and passed the junction - a moment ago, they managed to reach "Pattaya beach". Apparently, [the] beach is flooded. Then they went deeper - about 300 to 400m further, to higher ground. We found our younger brothers are safe."

Pattaya Beach is an elevated mound inside the cave which cavers have named that way. Rescuers thought it could have provided the boys with a refuge when rains flooded the cave.

The BBC's Jonathan Head described scenes of jubilation at the cave entrance, and says the persistence of the divers has paid off.

While the governor of the province has described them as safe, the next problem is how to safely remove the boys and their coach from the cave - to get them the medical help and food they need.

The group aren't out yet but it's an uplifting breakthrough, after the Thai government did everything it could to try to save these boys' lives.

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More than 1,000 people have been involved in the rescue efforts, including workers from China, Myanmar (also known as Burma), Laos, Australia and the US, says Nopporn Wong-Anan from the BBC Thai service.

The governor of Chiang Rai province said he could not give details of what they were planning to do next, our reporter adds.

This map gives a good idea of the challenges faced by the rescue workers.

BBCCopyright: BBC

We put together a picture gallery of the search effort for the Thai boys and their coach.

Divers, water pumps, drones and sniffer dogs were all used in the search through the cave system.

You can see the gallery here.

The governor of Chiang Rai province, Narongsak Osottanakorn, said divers used a brief period of good weather to push deeper into the cave, as pumping helped lower water levels.

The boys and their coach had pushed further down than initially hoped, the governor said. Divers had thought they would find the team on a ledge known as Pattaya Beach - named after the Thai resort - but that ledge was underwater.

• The 12 boys are members of the Moo Pa - or Wild Boar - football team.
• Their 25-year-old assistant coach, Ekkapol Janthawong, is known to have occasionally taken them out on day trips - including a trip to the same cave two years ago.
• The youngest member, Chanin "Titan" Wibrunrungrueang, is 11 - he started playing football aged seven.
• Duangpet "Dom" Promtep, 13, is the team captain and said to be the motivator of the group.
• The head coach Nopparat Kantawong, who did not join the group on their excursion, says he believes the boys "will take care of each other".

Watch earlier footage released by the Thai navy of rescuers trying to reach the group, who had been missing since 23 June.

The search had been hampered by low visibility and narrow tunnels.