The operation to rescue 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach from the cave where they've been trapped for over two weeks is underway, but heavy rain has swept into the area
Rescue workers are seen at the Tham Luang cave. Photo: AFP
Rain last night appears to have prompted the authorities to announce this afternoon that the rescue attempt had begun, and this latest rain has added to the urgency.
The head of the rescue mission Narongsak Osottanakorn gave a press conference this afternoon to confirm that 18 divers have entered the cave to rescue the boys.
He said the 13 are very ready to come out and the rescue team is at "peak readiness" and have been practising for the past three to four days.
He also said the operation to extract the boys could take three to four days depending on the weather and the earliest the boys would emerge would be 9pm local time, which is about 2am NZT.
The boys, accompanied by two divers each, will be brought out one-by-one.
The governor of the Chiang Rai region described it as D-Day.
Thirteen foreign and five Thai divers are taking part in the rescue in northern Thailand.
Earlier, authorities cleared the site near the entrance to the cave, including media.
The announcement came as dark monsoon rainclouds loomed over the mountainous north of the country, potentially heightening risks at the cave.
Thai Navy soldiers in the flooded Tham Luang cave during rescue operations for the 12 boys and their football team coach. Photo: AFP
The boys, aged between 11 and 16, went missing with the 25-year-old chaperone after soccer practice on 23 June as they set out to explore the Tham Luang cave complex in a forest park near the border with Myanmar.
"Assessing the situation now, it is necessary to evacuate the area for the rescue operation," said Mae Sai police commander Komsan Sa-ardluan over a loudspeaker.
"Those unrelated to the rescue operation, please evacuate the area immediately."
A large media contingent began packing up equipment including tripods and cameras, and moving down a muddy hill away from the mouth of the limestone cave.
Following a relatively dry spell, fresh torrential downpours could pose a setback to rescuers who have struggled to drain the Tham Luang cave complex in the northern province of Chiang Rai.
Thunderstorms are expected from Sunday through Monday, with further stormy weather for two weeks after that.
Narongsak Osottanakorn, a former provincial governor leading the effort, said the "ideal time" for a rescue could come in the next two or three days.
"We're still at war with water and time," he said.
Thai soldiers and volunteers are seen at the entrance of Tham Luang cave. Photo: AFP
Gong Hui, a Chinese diver involved in the operation that has drawn some 130 Thai and international divers, told Reuters on Saturday before the fresh rains that water levels in the cave had "receded a lot" after sustained pumping had removed millions of litres of water.
Time is running out on a plan to teach the boys - some as young as 11 and not strong swimmers - to make a dive through dark, narrow passageways sometimes no more than 0.6 of a meter wide, that have challenged some of the world's leading cave divers.
A former member of Thailand's elite navy SEAL unit died during a dive on Thursday night, a grim turn in what began two weeks ago as an outing to celebrate the birthday of one of the boys.
Up on the hill, where rescuers are seeking alternative routes down into the cave, another accident occurred when a vehicle skidded off a dirt track, seriously injuring several people, authorities said.
Earlier at the sprawling cave mouth, lines of frogmen and soldiers with flashlights could be seen emerging from the darkness, as generators chugged and pumped water out through plastic pipes.
Dozens of Royal Thai Army soldiers were seen resting on rocks outside the cave.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk tweeted that a team from his rocket company SpaceX in Los Angeles is building a mini-sub to help with the rescue.
"Got more great feedback from Thailand. Primary path is basically a tiny, kid-size submarine ... Light enough to be carried by 2 divers, small enough to get through narrow gaps. Extremely robust," Musk tweeted, adding that it would take eight hours to construct and 17 hours to transport to Thailand.
The Thai defence ministry said a team from a Musk firm with drilling and exploration know-how should reach the cave today.
- Reuters/BBC