A former Navy SEAL lost his life while trying to rescue 12 boys from a cave in Thailand.
The SEAL had gone to Thailand as a volunteer to rescue the 12 boys and their coach, a 25-year-old man who were trapped in a cave Tham Luang Nang Non.
The boys and their coach had gone into the cave one day after practice– the boys and man were part of a football team and he is their coach– and unfortunately, being monsoon season, rain started to fall and it became so bad it flooded large parts of the cave and made it impossible for the boys to make it out.
Commander of SEAL Arpakorn Yookongkaew explained how it happened explaining that the SEAL died during an overnight mission to place oxygen tanks in the cave where the group have been trapped since June 23.
The man had died underwater due to a lack of oxygen
“Despite this, we will continue until we accomplish our mission,” a defiant Arpakorn said.
The group have now spent 12 days in the cave and the rescue operatives are hoping against hope that they can get the victims out on time.
A rescue official, Poonsak Woongsatngiem, said the water in the vast Tham Luang cave complex had been reduced by 40 per cent in past days, but more needs to be done.
It was initially feared that the boys would need a crash course in diving to make it out, but Woongsatngiem hopes that they can get more water out so the boys can walk or be floated out of the cave.
“We are targeting the water in the third chamber to reduce it to the point that no diving equipment is needed, like to the waistline, so they can wear life jackets and walk out.” he said
They will need to hurry as it is feared that being the monsoon season, it could rain and the flood could return rendering all the work done so far useless.
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