The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

Why don't we have a thread on this? Why aren't we talking about this? I'm sure you all know about it. (Unless it's foreign news and thus doesn't get into the US.) Not the World Cup, and not in Luxembourg.

The kids trapped in the Tham Luang cave are members of a football club called the Wild Boars. They went to the cave as an outing with their coach to celebrate one of the boys' 16th birthday. It looks like they went in, left bikes and belongings near the entrance and then went exploring - but were cut off by a sudden rainfall flooding parts of the passage.

Then they were trapped inside for 9 days before divers* discovered their location (the search started within hours of them going in) on 2 July. They'd been in the dark obviously, and didn't really know how long they'd been there.

Now the problem is to get out they'll have to learn to dive - which means learning to swim first - or stay in there for around four months until after the monsoon season. The professional divers take 6 hours to get from the entrance to where the boys are and 5 hours, with the flow, to get back. And although it's not flooded all the way that's a serious challenge for people who can't dive yet. Some sections are so narrow the divers have to take off their oxygen tanks and pull them through behind or ahead of them.

* British divers :english:

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cp..._inf640-nc.png

Over 1,000 people have been involved in the rescue attempts already.

They are trying things like pumping out the water - but the rate they're managing isn't going to get them very far and more rains could fall any day. (It's a race against time. You wouldn't believe it if it was a movie.)

They're having to bring in oxygen tanks and pipes, because with the limited space and with so many rescuers working there the available oxygen is running low.

One diver has already died, while doing exactly this.

They're looking at the possibility of chimneys or other access routes from the side of the mountain.

And now Elon Musk has offered his Boring Company kit and specialists to dig a way in (and various other things).

Thailand cave rescue: Boys 'can walk but can't dive yet' - BBC News

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Tham Luang cave rescue - Wikipedia

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

And I just found this:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cartoon by <a href="https://twitter.com/stephffart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@stephffart</a> in today’s edition of The Nation newspaper <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThamLuang?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThamL uang</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/13%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%95%E0 %B8%A3%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%94%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%A5%E0%B9%8 9%E0%B8%A7?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#13ชี วิตรอดแล้ว</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%E0%B8%96%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B3%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%A5%E0%B 8%A7%E0%B8%87?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ถ ้ำหลวง</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Thailand?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Thaila nd</a> <a href="https://t.co/PBxfmrw6Vd">pic.twitter.com/PBxfmrw6Vd</a></p>&mdash; Richard Barrow in Thailand (@RichardBarrow) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/1014715947850977280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">5 July 2018</a></blockquote>
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Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

The flop isn't about cowardice.

It takes real guts to flop so shamelessly in front of an audience of tens or hundreds of millions.

You think you could do it, huh?

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UPDATE</a> Rescue chief says the first boy is expected to be brought out of the cave by around 9:00 pm (1400 GMT) <a href="https://t.co/6uVFkmeAN4">https://t.co/6uVFkmeAN4</a> <a href="https://t.co/gJISI8V2bl">pic.twitter.com/gJISI8V2bl</a></p>&mdash; AFP news agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1015821357928476672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

Yup, just saw that. It's happening.

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Best graphic of cave layout/issues I've seen - via <a href="https://t.co/99aHSbmsm4">https://t.co/99aHSbmsm4</a> <a href="https://t.co/OVgrEnEWTx">pic.twitter.com/OVgrEnEWTx</a></p>&mdash; Steve (@SteveInCM) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveInCM/status/1015868527721320449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">8 July 2018</a></blockquote>
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Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

It is being reported here in the US. It looks like they got four of the boys out now. :)

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

38cm by 72cm. :wtf:

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I hope everyone takes a moment today to remember Saman Gunan, the Thai Navy Seal that died making sure the kids stuck in the cave had enough oxygen so that today's rescue would even be possible. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThaiCaveRescue?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"># ThaiCaveRescue</a> <a href="https://t.co/LkhGmBXOAl">pic.twitter.com/LkhGmBXOAl</a></p>&mdash; Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) <a href="https://twitter.com/NumbersMuncher/status/1015950133517783040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

This is the first significant story that has really transfixed me since I essentially stopped the voluntary consumption of news.

Surely one of the greatest challenges for these rescue divers is maneuvering their massive fucking balls through some of those passages. I am awed.

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

That'll be where they have to take their tanks off of their backs.

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

A 5th boy has been brought out.

So far it looks like the rains are not raising the water levels in the caves. But they're also held back by needing to rest the rescue divers and replenish stocks of tanks and things.

No mention of whether the remaining boys are fit enough and have learnt enough dive skills to be brought out ... but that must be a worry.

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

Cave rescue: Four more boys rescued by Thai Navy divers - BBC News

leaving 4 boys and the coach for tomorrow:

Cave rescue: Divers ready to save remaining five Thais - BBC News

Quarantine sounds ominous ...

That sounds reasonable.

Not wrong.

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cp...s_640-nc-2.png

I'm almost optimistic. The last 5 have to make it!

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

Health precaution delays Thai cave boys' reunion with parents | News | The Guardian

:sadcheer: risks:
and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

Let's hear it for these professionals.

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">All Parents agreed on not find out which boys were rescued until ALL of them are out. Thai Navy Seal gave up his life. Farmers gave up their lands. Volunteers in all shape &amp; form and no one asking for any compensations. As a Thai, THANK YOU WORLD!! ���� <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThaiCaveRescue?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"># ThaiCaveRescue</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/humanity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#humani ty</a></p>&mdash; bEzO (@BeBeZoey) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeBeZoey/status/1016481003400032256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

Thread on the logistics of a rescue operation like this: (spoiler alert: it’s incredibly dicey and dangerous for everyone involved)

Thread by @Where_is_Puff: "For once, Im 100% qualified to talk about current news ThaiCaveRescue Hi I’m Puff & I’m a cave/cavern/tech/Nitrox/tri mix/wreck cert’d d […]" #ThaiCaveRescue

The way she makes it sound here, it’s a miracle that eight boys are already out and none died.

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

And yet, 9th and 10th boys now out.

At this point my worries are shifting to the high probability they won't be well enough by the weekend to accept the offer to go to the World Cup final.

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

They're all out! All 12 boys + coach + the remaining divers and medics! :cheer:

Thai cave rescue operation ends with all 12 boys safe | News | The Guardian

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

Several news sources have been reporting that the boys were sedated during the rescue.

While I can understand the interest, sedating the boys seems like a practical step to ensure they're relaxed, compliant and resistant to panic.

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

Yes, panic was probably the greatest danger they faced.

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

Misc:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mae Bua Chaicheun is a rice farmer. Her rice paddies were destroyed by the 130million liters of water pumped from the cave in the rescue mission. Her response:”Children are more important than rice. We can regrow rice but we can’t regrow the children.”<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/caverescue?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cave rescue</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThaiCaveRescue?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"># ThaiCaveRescue</a> <a href="https://t.co/wR7OauqyIf">pic.twitter.com/wR7OauqyIf</a></p>&mdash; Matrixity (@Matrixity) <a href="https://twitter.com/Matrixity/status/1016515395006750721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Down thrad it's indicated the farmers are all receiving government assistance.

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

Thai cave rescue: Navy Seals say mission came 'close to disaster' | News | The Guardian

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

Re: The Wild Boars football team v. the Tham Luang cave
 

So did we ever find out if Luxembourg was responsible for this, trying to get revenge on the wild boars?