Thailand rescuers race to save trapped soccer team as more rains forecast

Thomas Maresca Special to USA TODAY

Published 2:06 p.m. UTC Jul 6, 2018

MAE SAI, Thailand – The death of a retired Thai navy SEAL diver working to rescue a young soccer team from a flooded cave in northern Thailand underscored the danger and sense of urgency as clouds gather for a likely deluge of heavy weekend rain.

The diver, Saman Kunan, died from a lack of oxygen in an overnight mission, SEAL commander Arpakorn Yookongkaew told reporters. The volunteer rescuer was placing compressed air tanks along an exit route to assist the boys in their escape from the cave.

Chiang Rai Gov. Narongsak Ossotthanakor said that oxygen levels in the cave have been thinned out by the large number of rescue workers inside the cave's network of underground tunnels and that officials are working to get a three-mile cable into the cave to help replenish the oxygen level.

"At first we thought that we could sustain the kids’ lives for a long time where they are now, but now, many things have changed. We have a limited amount of time," said  Arpakorn, according to The Associated Press.

The 38-year-old retired diver, whose own oxygen ran out, was found unconscious about 1 a.m. Friday about half a mile from where the 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Arpakorn said that Thailand’s King Vajiralongkorn announced that the diver would be given royally-sponsored funeral rites including a military funeral at the Satthahip Navy Base in Pattaya and then in his hometown.

Facebook and Twitter posts hailed him as a hero, while some people shared images from his Facebook page showing him as a dedicated runner and competitive cyclist.

Thai authorities are racing to pump out water from the cave, but with more rains forecast to hit the northern region as part of monsoon season the situation has become more urgent. 

The boys are 11-16 years old and their coach is 25. However, not all of them can swim and some areas of the cave network where they disappeared after going exploring following a soccer game are still flooded all the way to the ceiling.

More: Thailand cave rescue: Former Thai navy SEAL dies from lack of oxygen

More: 'Hero or zero?': Thailand abuzz over coach who led boys into cave – then kept them alive

More: An illustrated look at the Thai cave rescue

At the cave site, a makeshift village of volunteers has sprung up alongside military and medical rescue coordinators. Dozens of locals are serving up food, water and medicine to rescue teams and the scores of media members who have descended on the remote forest park.

A medical tent is available on site, staffed by a rotating group of doctors and nurses from Mae Sai, the nearest town. Even free haircuts are being given away on plastic chairs under a tent and a local cafe brought in an espresso and cappuccino machine to make fresh coffee.

"This is my backyard," said Brandon Fox, a 36-year-old from Michigan who lives in Mae Sai and has been coming to the site daily to help out with everything from trash collection to translation. "I’m here to help out in any way I can." Fox, who works with an aid foundation, has lived in Thailand for 14 years and speaks fluent Thai.

On Thursday, operation commander Narongsak Osatanakorn said overzealous volunteers working on their own arrived on the site and began pumping water into the ground, forcing it back into the partially flooded Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex.

"They may have some belief that their techniques are effective for groundwater drainage, but anything that is not in the plan must be discussed with us first," Narongsak told Thai media. "We are racing against water (that is) flowing into the cave although we have plugged its channels."

The worsening conditions concern rescuers and volunteers.

"I’m worried about the rain," said Visunlaya Songjang, 59, a volunteer from Mae Sai.

A former nurse and current director of the division of health for Mae Si, she was working at a stand providing donated medicines and small items such as underwear and socks.

"We are all here to help the children in the cave. We hope they will come outside soon," she said.

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard and John Bacon

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