12 young footballers trapped inside flooded cave in Chiang Rai

CHIANG RAI, June 26 (TNA) -- The fate of 12 young footballers aged 11 to 15 and their coach trapped inside a flooded cave in Chiang Rai province is still unknown as the search and rescue operation has continued since Saturday night. The youths and their 25-year-old coach were visiting the cave Tham Luang-Khunnam Nang Non Forest Park in Chiang Rai on Saturday afternoon when the flashflood inundating the passageway. They are believed to have been trapped somewhere in the cave system without food and water. Eighteen navy SEALs on Monday morning were dispatched to join the search operation; beginning with clearing underwater passageway to reach the other side of the cave. Rescuers said water in the cave had continue to rise, reaching about seven meters in depth. The teenagers are pupils and members of Ban Phong Pha School football team made the trip with their coach, Ekkapol Chanwong, after a practice session on Saturday afternoon. The floodwater apparently blocked their escape from the seven-kilometer-long cave. There is a good chance they are able to find dry section inside the cave as rescuers have put all-out efforts to help them. (TNA)