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Water Accidentally Pumped Into Hole Where Thai Football Team Are Trapped

Water Accidentally Pumped Into Hole Where Thai Football Team Are Trapped

Twelve Thai boys and a football coach have been trapped in a flooded cave for 12 days and volunteers accidentally pumped water back inside

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

The young football team that are still trapped underground in Thailand are facing a race against the weather after unregistered volunteers accidentally pumped water back into the caves thinking they were helping.

The 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach have been trapped for 12 days now and are still too weak to leave the cave in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, which is now being pumped with oxygen.

A medical assessment has found that it is still too dangerous to try to move the youngsters, an unnamed source in the Thai Navy Seals told CNN.

And according to a doctor's report two boys and the coach are suffering with exhaustion through malnutrition.

NDTV

According to the MailOnline, heavy rainfall is expected in the coming days and attempts are being made to lower flooding levels - but this has been hampered after unregistered volunteers started pumping water back into the caves in the belief they were helping.

Today, a team of bird's nest collectors from southern Thailand arrived to put their rock climbing skills to use in a bid to help with the rescue mission.

The eight men are from Libong island in Trang province, where they climb limestone cliffs to collect the edible nests, a delicacy made from solidified bird spit that can go for hundreds of pounds per kilo.

The group's leader, 49-year-old Abdulrawheep Khunraksa said: "One member in our team was watching (the rescue mission) on television and thought 'how can we help them?'.

"We thought that we might have the expertise to help since we have climbed to collect bird's nests for generations."

CNN

The team will now set off up the steep slope in the hopes of finding an alternative route to reach the boys inside the Tham Laung cave.

Tham Luang operation commander, Narongsak Osotthanakorn, said unregistered volunteers had been diverting water back into the ground in the belief that they were helping.

He said: "They may have some belief that their technique is effective for ground water drainage, but anything that is not in the plan must be discussed with us first.

"We are concerned about rain. We are racing against water. Water is flowing into the cave although we have plugged its channels."

CNN

He also explained that the children have completed their first day of scuba diving training in preparation for their evacuation.

They will undergo a thorough medical examination to decide whether they are fit enough for the risky escape.

Authorities did not under-estimate the challenge facing the youngsters, who are aged between 11 and 16, as it took the Thai Navy Seals six hours to reach the boys and five hours to return, negotiating their way through the complex cave system.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Children, News, Football, Thailand, Community