Tham Luang cave rescue |
.jpg) Rescue personnel and equipment at the cave entrance | |
| Date | 23 June – 10 July 2018 (18 days) |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 20°22′54″N 99°52′06″E / |
| Type | |
| Cause | |
| Outcome | Group found alive on 2 July; all rescued between 8 and 10 July 2018.[3][4][5] |
| Death(s) | Saman Kunan, rescue diver[6] |
| Non-fatal injuries | Minor scrapes and cuts, mild rashes,[7][8] |
Location within Thailand | |
In June and July 2018, a widely publicised
Efforts to locate the group were hampered by rising water levels and strong currents, and no contact was made for more than a week. The rescue effort expanded into a massive operation amid intense worldwide public interest. On 2 July, after advancing through narrow passages and muddy waters, British divers
The rescue effort involved more than 10,000 people, including over 100 divers, many rescue workers, representatives from about 100 governmental agencies, 900 police officers and 2,000 soldiers, and required ten police helicopters, seven police ambulances, more than 700 diving cylinders, and the pumping of more than a billion litres of water out of the caves.
There was one fatality, Saman Kunan, a 37-year-old former
Tham Luang Nang Non is a
On Saturday 23 June 2018, a group of twelve boys aged between 11 and 17 from a local junior football team named the Wild Boars and their 25-year-old assistant coach, Ekkaphon Chanthawong,[13] went missing after setting out to explore the cave. According to early news reports, they planned to have a birthday party in the cave after the football practice, and spent a significant sum of money on food, but they refuted this in a news conference after the rescue.[14] The team was stranded in the tunnels by sudden and continuous rainfall after they had entered the cave.[15] They had to leave some food supplies behind when fleeing the rising water.[16][17][18][19]
Around 7 p.m., head coach Nopparat Khanthawong (
The members of the trapped team were as follows:[18][22]
| Name ( |
Age | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chanin Wibunrungrueang | Titan | 11 | |
| Phanumat Saengdi | Mig | 13 | |
| Duangphet Phromthep | Dom | 13 | Team captain.[22] |
| Somphong Chaiwong | Pong | 13 | |
| Mongkhon Bunpiam | Mark | 13 | Rescued in first mission.[23] Stateless.[24] |
| Natthawut Thakhamsong | Tern | 14 | Rescued in first mission.[25] |
| Ekkarat Wongsukchan | Bew | 14 | |
| Adun Sam-on | — | 14 | Only English-language speaker; communicated with initial rescue party.[22] Stateless.[24][26] |
| Prachak Sutham | Note | 15 | Rescued in first mission.[23] |
| Phiphat Phothi | Nick | 15 | Rescued in first mission.[25] |
| Phonchai Khamluang | Tee | 16 | Stateless.[24][26] |
| Phiraphat Somphiangchai | Night | 16–17 | Celebrated his birthday while in the cave.[19] |
| Ekkaphon Chanthawong | Ake | 25 | Assistant coach and former |
The assistant coach and three of the boys had no nationality. Nopparat Khanthavong, the founder of the Wild Boars team, explained that they are from tribes in
