Trapped football team rescued from Tham Luang caves

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photo courtesy of Tribune Content Agency

After being trapped in the Tham Luang caves of Thailand for 18 days, the Wild Boars football team has been safely rescued.

A coach and 12 boys were rescued during a three-day mission conducted by Thai Navy Seals. More than 80 highly trained divers from different countries were involved in the rescue efforts, and by Tuesday, the last remaining players were freed.

On June 23, the Wild Boars football team decided to explore a dry cave during a period of down time. Unfortunately, they were unaware of how rainfall would affect the cave and became trapped by flooding water.

For nine days, the football team had no contact with the outside world and survived on cave water. A pair of British divers were the ones to find the football team and alert others of the incident.

The second week was filled with planning a rescue mission and making sure the boys were getting the proper nutrients.

Although there were no casualties from the football team, one diver did lose his life after helping the boys get proper oxygen while stuck in the caves.

Saman Gunan, a 38-year-old Navy Seal, has been declared a hero by the citizens of Thailand, and by people all across the world. His sacrifice in the caves directly benefited the trapped boys and helped the mission succeed.

The survivors are all recovering at a Chiang Rai city hospital. The boys and their coach will need to be evaluated on several fronts to make sure there are no underlying issues. While some players have dealt with infections, overall, they are doing well considering what they had to endure.

The survivors will remain in the hospital until they have been properly assessed, but family members visit the boys as much as they can.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.