← Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More
Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More
The 2018 Tham Luang Cave Rescue
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In 2018, 12 boys in their soccer coach entered a cave in northern Thailand and were trapped when monsoon rains flooded the passage behind them. What followed was a race against time involving thousands of rescuers, expert cave divers, engineers, soldiers and doctors from around the world. Against overwhelming odds, they attempted one of the most dangerous and complex rescues ever undertaken and amazingly, every single one of the tramp people survived. Learn more about the Tham Luang Cave Rescue on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. This episode is sponsored by True Work. Working outside in the spring means dealing with chilly mornings, hot afternoons, mud, rain and whatever else the weather decides to throw at you, and cheap workwear can make all of that worse. That's why the T2 work pant from TrueWerk is different. Most workwear is made from cotton blends that restrict movement and get soaked after just a few raindrops. 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That's Q U I-N-E.com daily for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com daily. On June 23, 2018, a Thai U soccer team known as the Wild Boars completed practice and decided to celebrate one of their teammates birthdays. Consisting of 12 boys aged 11 to 16 and their 25 year old assistant coach, the group decided to explore a nearby cave. Cave exploration wasn't a new hobby for the team. They had done this many times before. They decided to enter the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system in northern Thailand. The cave system spans about 6.2 miles or 10 kilometers. It features tight passages, winding tunnels and deep recesses. During the dry season, the cave is relatively safe, but in the rainy season the danger rises sharply. To warn potential cave dwellers of the risk, signs are posted outside the cave warning of flooding during the rainy season. The rainy season is usually defined as from July to November, but that doesn't mean heavy rain can't occur outside of this window. During this season, water levels in the cave can reach 16ft or 5 meters high. The team entered the cave with their flashlights. They intended to be inside for just about an hour, so they left their bikes at the cave's entrance and began exploring. And when they entered the cave, it was completely dry. But as they were inside the cave, an unexpected downpour began. This caused the cave to flash flood, filling the depressions with water blocking any potential exits. The team didn't realize the sudden shift in weather until it was too late. In panic and fear, the boys were forced to move deeper into the cave, desperately trying to escape the rising water and avoid drowning. Obviously, being stuck in a cave meant that the children didn't make it home to their families that night. Concerned about their kid's safety, the parents began making calls. Many of these calls went to the head soccer coach, Noparat Konthawong. Kanthawong, now aware of his missing team, began making his own calls. He managed to contact a team member who did not enter the cave with the group and this was fortunate as he was able to inform Kan Thawong that the others had entered the cave. Kanthalong went to the caves as quickly as possible and noticed the boys bikes at the entrance and the concerning amount of water flooding into the cave. With this discovery, the authorities were notified and Rescuers arrived at the scene. The truth that awaited the rescuers was frightening. Thirteen people were now trapped inside the cave. They had no clue where inside the cave system they were, and they couldn't get out on their own. The team was found marooned on a rocky shelf about 4 km from the cave entrance. There was no light, no food, and absolutely no sense of time. Despite the horrible situation, the team worked together to make the situation more bearable. They had dug about five meters into the cave wall to give themselves more space to huddle together and keep warm. To help pass the time, the assistant coach, Ake, a former Buddhist monk, taught the boys meditation. This had the unintended benefit of reducing the amount of oxygen that the boys used. The meditation also kept them still, helping them to conserve their strength. Despite having no food, the team did have water from the cave walls. As moisture dripped from the sides of the cave, the team had enough water at least to survive. Despite the horrible situation, the team had just the right circumstances to keep them alive for a while. While the team was stranded, the authorities quickly jumped into action. The national police, Thai Navy Seals, volunteers and other rescue teams were brought in. Despite mobilizing quickly, authorities faced uncertainty. They didn't know where the boys were or if they were even alive. The issue was complicated by the difficulty of actually searching the cave. Tham Luang wasn't exactly the easiest cave to navigate, and the professional Navy Seals they brought in had little to no experience in cave diving. At the same time, the rain was still falling, blocking various access points inside the cave. The first solution that was proposed was to pump water out of the cave. This required several types of equipment, but the on site engineers lacked specialized expertise in cave flood management, leading to operational challenges. The engineers used tools such as shovels, small pumps and pipes. However, due to the cave's massive water volume, most equipment proved inadequate for effective water removal. Attempts to locate the boys also included drilling holes into the mountain to access the cave chambers and deploying small drones capable of detecting heat to pinpoint their location. While the engineers attempted to locate the boys, authorities decided to ask the boy who had not entered the cave questions about his teammates. The goal was to gain more insight into where they could have gone. To help narrow down the search, the boy mentioned that it was common for the team to go to an area of the cave dubbed Patia beach, helping give the authorities direction. While the boys were missing, the community came together in their hopes of bringing the children home. Friends, family and acquaintances gathered at the cave's mouth to pray, sing songs and post messages about the kids. The village around them donated money and food to the families of the missing community. Support soon spread. Aid from across Thailand came in, with volunteers from all corners of the country flying in to help bring the boys home. And this eventually caught the attention of international News outlets. By June 28, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other countries had either been invited or volunteered to help with the search and rescue. Specialists from the countries were quickly brought in to search the cave systems. The situation for the rescue divers was terrible, with rising water levels, strong currents, and areas with no visibility. These conditions forced the divers to turn back during their search. By July 1, a week after the team had entered the cave, some progress had been made. The divers reached an area they dubbed chamber three, roughly 800 meters inside the cave. The chamber's location served as a base for the diversity, allowing them to store oxygen tanks and medical supplies. This meant divers could easily replenish their supplies without leaving the cave whenever they ran out of oxygen. It took an additional two days, But a pair of British divers, Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, located the boys. The duo had been searching around Pattaya beach, but found the area flooded. When they continued further through the water, they found an air pocket. When at the air pocket, the duo surfaced, took a breath and shouted. They actually smelled the children before seeing them. Knowing the kids were nearby, the duo pointed a flashlight in the distance and spotted them all. Thirteen members of the team were there and alive. After spending some time talking to the boys, the duo had to head back to the base, but promised to return with food. The entire interaction was captured on camera, showing the world that the children had survived. Everyone was thrilled to see the kids alive, but there was still a problem. How were they going to get them out of the cave? Three main options were given to the rescue team. The first was to train the boys how to dive. This was a very risky option as many of the boys in the cave were unable to even swim. And even if they did know how, swimming through these circumstances was difficult for professional divers with years of training. The second option was to continue to try to pump water outside of the cave. And while this option was less risky than teaching the boys how to dive, there was a risk that the pumping mechanism could fail or that too much water would enter the cave. Additionally, this plan would keep the boys in the cave for at least four more months. Another option that was considered was to drill into the cave or find an alternative route. But this had no guarantee of working to ease the wait as they figured out the best rescue option. Navy Seals and a medic stayed with the boys. They were given a special liquid food to help raise their vitamin levels without making the children sick. However, the situation was starting to get dire. Oxygen levels inside the cave were slowly dropping and monsoon season rains were about to start the next week. The rescuers were running out of time. Ultimately, the rescue team devised a risky plan to save the boys. It was decided that the experienced cave divers would take the children out one by one. Each boy would be put in a wetsuit and a diving mask and then they were to be given a sedative. The decision to give the children sedatives, making them unconscious while being rescued, was controversial, but deemed necessary. Once unconscious, the the kids couldn't panic during their rescue. If they were to panic, the children would endanger both themselves and the rescue team. So it was considered a necessary risk. The sedatives that were administered to the boys lasted about 90 minutes. But the rescuers had to re administer the drug during the swim because the journey to exit each boy took three hours. This ensured that they were unconscious throughout the entire evacuation. To keep the route as efficient as possible, the children were then tethered to the diver. This was an important step. Because of the poor visibility inside the cave. The boys decided on the order in which they would be rescued and the operation lasted three days. It was so efficient that towards the end, the boys were delivered every 45 minutes. Due to a handoff system. The boys were passed through on a pulley system underneath the water. Roughly a hundred divers were involved, but it worked. After 18 grueling days, the boys were out of the cave on Tuesday, July 10. Despite the risks, time constraints and odds, all the boys and their coach made it. And strangely enough, the moment the last boy was pulled out of the cave, the water pump stopped working. However, the rescue mission was not without any loss. One Navy SEAL diver named Salman Gunin died during the rescue while on a run to deliver oxygen to the boys. On July 6, he himself ran out of oxygen. Once outside of the cave, the survivors were immediately put in the hospital. They were there for about a week and they were monitored for diseases and overall health. Each kid lost a little bit of weight, but overall they were in good condition. After the boys were rescued, the cave and the forest park nearby were closed to the public. The Thai government made plans to turn the cave into a museum to showcase the rescue efforts. The efforts have been memorialized in different ways. Locals painted a mural to honor those involved in the rescue and a bronze statue was made for the Navy SEAL who died. The cave and park eventually reopened and the museum plan was realized, although access to specific caverns was limited. The Tham Luang Cave rescue was not just a story of survival. It was a story of discipline, courage, expertise and cooperation under almost impossible conditions. Thirteen people were trapped in darkness, but thousands of others refused to accept that they were beyond reach. It remains one of the greatest rescue stories of modern times and a reminder that human beings are often at their best when the situation appears to be at its worst. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Austin Otkin and Cameron Kiefer. Research and writing for this episode was provided by Olivia Ashe. My big thanks go to everyone who supports the show over on Patreon. Your support helps make this podcast possible, and I also want to remind everyone about the community groups on Facebook and Discord. This is where everything happens that's outside of the show. As always, if you leave a review on any major podcast app or in the above community groups, you too can have it read in the show.