Thai cave rescue in photos: Rescuers extract soccer team trapped in cave

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Sunday, July 8, 2018
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.
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Thai cave rescue in photos: Rescuers extract soccer team trapped in caveRescuer 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 Photo/Sakchai Lalit

MAE SAI, Thailand -- For weeks, 12 young soccer players and their coach were trapped in a partially flooded cave in northern Thailand, riveting the nation and making news around the world. On Tuesday, it was announced that the last of them had been rescued.

The boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach were missing for over a week before rescue divers finally found them. The boys were skinny and hungry but were in good health. Authorities spent days determining how best to rescue the players after efforts to pump out water from the cave were set back by heavy rain.

The desperate search and rescue operation saw experts from around the world join in, with teams from Britain, the U.S., Australia, China and elsewhere all participating.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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