Cave may be 'safest place' for trapped Thai boys

Twelve young soccer players and their coach remain trapped inside a flooded cave. The group went missing inside the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex on June 23.

DW: Why is a rescue attempt so dangerous?

Gary Mitchell: Any attempt to dive "non-divers" out of any length of water is really a quite serious undertaking … There are several air pockets along the way, but the total length of flooded passage is in the region of a kilometer (.6 miles) long. So it's a huge undertaking for anyone but a really experienced diver — let alone young lads and their coach who've probably never dived before.

 

What can Thai authorities do – or not do?

They've got access to really good equipment and they've got some good technology, but not necessarily cave-diving-specific technology. These guys, the navy seals working with the Thai authorities, are mainly open-water divers, sea divers. And the terrain is vastly different [in the cave] — visibility down to one foot at best (30 centimeters), confined spaces, all sorts of underground obstacles to concern yourself with as well.

Just how difficult is the rescue dive?

We know from our own rescue team that got in there and found them that it's a serious dive. It's a kilometer of flooded passages, and round about an hour and a half's worth of diving that involves stopping, changing air tanks, all that sort of stuff along that route.

What's the biggest risk?

Can I get up to the surface? And the answer to that question underground, if it is completely flooded passages, is no. Clearly there are air pockets all the way through. We believe the boys are about 2 kilometers into the system, of which about a kilometer is flooded. They could be brought to larger dryer spaces be warmed, refed, looked after and comforted. And we know that the Thai authorities are looking at possibilities.

What is the most realistic timeframe for getting them out?

If it continues to rain for four months, there's a strong possibility that they might not be able to dive them out. The currents are so strong underground in places. Our guys were hampered with several days of heavy rainfall, not being able to progress deeper into the cave. Clearly we can't risk — we wouldn't risk — [their lives] just to get them out if they could be looked after, kept well, warm, and alive underground. That's almost the safest place for them to be as opposed to risking diving them out.

Gary Mitchell is the assistant chairman of the British Cave Rescue Council, which is involved in the search and rescue efforts in Thailand.