Thailand cave rescue: 12 boys, 1 coach found alive after 9 days

Rescuers have found all 12 boys and their football coach alive after nine days of being missing in caves in Thailand.

Two British divers discovered them on a ledge in a cavern after a lengthy search operation in the Tham Luang caves in Chiang Rai.

A video of the boys being discovered has been posted on the Thai Navy Seal page:

The group of boys appear to ask when they will be rescued and one of the rescuers responds: "No, not today. Not today. There's two of us. We have to dive. We are coming. OK? Many people are coming. We are the first."

One of the boys can be heard saying: "Eat, eat, eat, tell them we are hungry".

When the group asked what day it is, the divers pause, then one replies: "Monday, Monday. You have been here... 10 days. You are very strong."

The divers explain that they have to leave but will be back.

Who are those missing?

The boys, aged between 11 and 16 years old, are all members of the Wild Boar football team.

The 25-year-old assistant coach is known to have occasionally taken them out on day trips. They went on a trip to the same cave two years ago.

When did they go missing

They had entered the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system on Saturday, June 23, for a team outing.

A sudden and continuous downpour left them stuck in the dark tunnels

The international rescue operation -- which includes the Thai Navy SEALs, as well as experts from the US, China, Australia and the UK -- had been working to reach a large, deep chamber, informally named Pattaya Beach, where they believed the missing boys had taken refuge.

The boys' bicycles near the entrance to the off-limits cave complex was first spotted by a park officer who then sounded the alarm.

A popular tourist spot, the cave labyrinth has huge high ceilings for the first kilometer (0.6 miles) or so inside the cavernous entrance.

What is the next step now?

The challenge now will be to extract the party safely, with rising water and mud impeding access.

The passageway the divers made their way through goes upward in some places and downward in others, and is extremely narrow, making it difficult for divers and their gear to fit through.

Families of the missing group were ecstatic at news of the rescue.

How big is the operations?

More than 1,000 people have been involved in the rescue operation, including teams from China, Myanmar, Laos, Australia and the United States.

Generators powering the water pumps and filling the air tanks for the dozens of divers have been deployed with other machinery needed for the large-scale rescue efforts.

Thai social media have been putting up photos of the extent of the rescue, with locals chipping in in any way they can, such as providing massages for rescue workers, as well as preparing food.