u.s. & world

Thailand cave rescue: What happens now that the players and coach are out of the cave

Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Here's a step-by-step look at what happens to members of the trapped Thailand soccer team once they are freed from a flooded cave.
MAE SAI, Thailand -- On Tuesday, ABC News confirmed that all 12 boys and their coach had been rescued after an international team of rescuers worked diligently to extricate the youth soccer team trapped in a flooded cave in northern Thailand.

The operation to rescue the boys, ages 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach by having them dive out of the flooded cave began Sunday morning, with expert divers entering the sprawling complex for the complicated and dangerous mission.
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After emerging from the cave, they were taken in an ambulance to be evacuated from the cave site via helicopter. Upon landing at nearby Old Airport, the boys were taken via ambulance to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital, a hospital official told ABC News.

Staff members have shrouded the hospital's entrance with fabric to shield the young patients from the public eye. An entire floor of the 14-story hospital has been reserved for treating the soccer team, according to local media reports.

At the hospital, the team is being checked for airborne lung infections and bacterial infections that they could have developed after being in a damp cave environment for an extended period of time. Doctors will also evaluate the boys' mental and emotional states to determine whether or not they need to be treated for post-traumatic stress disorder.

In addition to treatment areas, the hospital will also provide reunion rooms for the young boys and their families. Precautions are being taken to keep the boys from spreading infections they might have developed.



"They will be kept away from their parents for a while because we are concerned about infections," Chiang Rai provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said at a news conference about the boys who were rescued on Sunday.

The parents will not be allowed to hug or touch the boys until blood tests come back in about two days, officials said Tuesday. They will be able to see them "at a distance through glass."
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So far, two boys have confirmed lung infections.
Rescuer working near a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand Sunday, July 8, 2018.AP
Two ambulances are seen leaving the cave in northern Thailand hours after operations began to rescue trapped youth soccer players.AP
This undated photo released via the Thai NavySEAL Facebook Page on Sunday, July 8, 2018, says "€œWe,€™ Thai and international teams join forces to bring the young Wild Boars home."AP
Rescuers arrive near the cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand Sunday, July 8, 2018.AP
Australian Federal Police and Defense Force personnel arrive near a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23,.AP
Thai police stand guard near a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand.AP
Thai policemen stand guard near a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province.AP
Rescuer walk out from cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand Sunday, July 8, 2018.AP
Australian Federal Police and Defense Force personnel arrive near a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province.AP
Family members pray near a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand Saturday, July 7, 2018.AP
Thai rescue teams use a water pumping system at the entrance to a flooded cave complex where 12 boys and their soccer coach went missing.AP
Thai rescue teams walk inside cave complex where 12 boys and their soccer coach went missing in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand.AP
Family members pray in front of a Buddhist statue near a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province.AP
Thai rescue teams arrange a water pumping system at the entrance to a flooded cave complex where 12 boys and their soccer coach went missing in northern Thailand.AP
Family members pray in front giant Buddhist statue near a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in northern Thailand Saturday, July 7, 2018.AP
Thai rescue teams walk inside cave complex where 12 boys and their soccer coach went missing in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand.AP
Thai soldiers line up to the cave area as they continue the search for a young soccer team and their coach believed to be missing in a large cave, Wednesday, June 27, 2018.AP
International rescuers team prepare to walk in a cave where a young soccer team and their coach are believed to be missing, Thursday, July 5, 2018.AP
Thai rescues team walk inside cave complex where 12 boys and their soccer coach went missing, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand, Monday, July 2, 2018.AP
Thai rescues team walk inside cave complex where 12 boys and their soccer coach went missing, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand, Monday, July 2, 2018.AP
International rescuers team prepare walk in of a cave where a young soccer team and their coach are believed to be missing, Thursday, July 5, 2018.AP
Thai rescues team walk inside cave complex where 12 boys and their soccer coach went missing, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand, Monday, July 2, 2018.AP
A U.S. military rescue team is briefed by the Thai Navy SEALs at the staging area outside the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand .AP
Members of the emergency rescue team talk in the staging area as they continue the search for a young soccer team and their coach believed to be missing in a large cave.AP
In this handout photo released by the Thai Navy, Thai rescue teams walk inside the cave complex where 12 boys and their soccer coach went missing in northern Thailand.AP


The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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