After an emotionally turbulent 18-day ordeal, all 12 of the Thai boys who were trapped in an elaborate cave system with their assistant coach have been rescued and brought to safety.
The boys, who are all members of the Wild Boars soccer team, had been exploring the Tham Luang caves in Thailand with their 25-year-old soccer coach when rising water levels trapped them inside of the caverns. As the tunnels continued to flood, the group was forced further and further inside the system until they had traveled 2 and a half miles into the caves.
For nine days, the boys and their coach were stranded without food before they were finally located by rescuers. The intricacy of the tunnel system, however, made rescuing the group far more difficult.
In addition to 40 Thai scuba divers being called in for the extraction mission, over 50 international divers flew in to Thailand to offer their assistance. Since each boy was weakened by their physical conditions and none of them had very much diving experience, they were each escorted out by a team of two divers – one in front of each boy, and one behind.
