Amazing Footage Captures Rescuers Finding Trapped Thai Football Team

Footage has been released of the moment that a football team from Thailand was found after being trapped underground for 10 days:

The clip shows a British team of rescue workers locating the twelve missing boys and their coach.

The Moo Pa team were exploring the Tham Luang Nang Non cave on 23 June. It is thought that a freak shower caused them to become trapped in the cave.

The alarm was raised and an international team of rescue experts from the UK, the US, Australia and Thailand was assembled in an attempt to locate and free the football team.

The rescuers, lead by British men Richard Stanton, Robert Harper and John Vonlanthen, discovered them around 400m from an area of the cave known as Pattaya Beach.

One of the three British rescuers is heard to say: "Many, many people are coming... we are the first."

The boys, who look frail and scared, ask in broken English what day it is and if they are to be freed. "We are hungry.. shall we go outside?" one is heard to ask.

"I know, I understand... no, not today. Monday. Monday. You have been here for 10 days, you are very strong," replies the rescuer.

While the boys have now been found, rescuing them is still not an easy task. Water levels in the cave continue to rise and none of the boys can scuba dive, which may allow them to leave.

Food is being delivered to them, as it may take a long time for them either to learn how to dive or for the flood waters to subside enough for them to be rescued.

Speaking to media, Chiang Rai provincial governor Narongsak Osatanakorn said "We found them safe, but the operation isn't over.

"When the medics have evaluated the kids to see if their health is in good condition, we will care for them until they have enough strength to move by themselves, and then we will evaluate the situation on bringing them out again later."

Australian Federal Police DEtective Superintendent Thomas Hester, who is part of the rescue operation, said: "Our Specialist Response Group dive team have been diving shortly after arrival (in Chiang Rai) and one of the difficulties they face is a very flooded cave system, it's very difficult to see and move through that system.

"There are a lot of small, tight areas where larger size people, especially with equipment, may have trouble moving through."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: World News, News

Mike Wood

Mike Meehall Wood is a freelance journalist and translator. He writes for LADbible, VICE and countless sports publications, focusing on rugby league, football and boxing. He is a graduate of Leeds University and maintains a fizzy pop obsession. Contact Mike at [email protected]