Thailand cave mission: Sixth boy rescued, says report

Bangkok, July 9: The rescue operation teams succeeded in bringing out the sixth of the youngsters' football team that got trapped inside the complex Tham Luang caves in northern Thailand on Monday, July 9, the Guardian reported.

It left another seven members of the squad, including the coach, to be evacuated.

The evacuation of the sixth member meant two members were brought out on Monday within a gap of an hour, Guardian cited sources as saying.

However, the authorities were not divulging much about the operation, the Guardian reported cited Associated Press as saying.

Four boys of the stranded football team 'Wild Boars' were rescued on Sunday, July 8, after the authorities found it compelling to evacuate the boys ahead of the prediction of rain and deteriorating oxygen levels.

The four boys were taken to a local hospital in the Chiang Rai province where the mission is taking place and the news about their rescue was announced hours after their admission in the hospital, the AP report said.

Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha deferred his plan to visit the site so that the rescue operation was not delayed, the Guardian report added.

The team comprising 12 boys, aged between 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old coach had entered the cave to explore it but sudden monsoon flooding blocked their way out. They have remained stuck inside the underground cave for over two weeks before being tracked by British divers on July 2.

The Guardian also added that the rescued boys were kept isolated in the hospital to avoid infection. It also said that the four had asked for pad krapow, a popular Thai comfort food.

The current rescue mission has been one of the toughest with international bodies specialised in diving chipping in to save the boys. One diver even lost his life while carrying out the duty to reach air tanks to the trapped team, raising the alarm level among the rescuers.