Eight of the 12 boys trapped for two weeks in a flooded cave in northern Thailand are now safe and recovering in hospital after another four were rescued by divers on the second day of a high-stakes operation.
The boys brought out of the dark, winding cave on Monday are "safe and conscious", said Narongsak Osatanakorn, the acting governor of Chiang Rai province who is in charge of the rescue effort.
Monday's operation began at 11am (llocal time) and took nine hours, two fewer than on Sunday, with rescuers helped by their experience from the first day, Mr Narongsak told a news conference, punctuated by rounds of applause.
"We have more operating personnel. And we have more expertise than yesterday," he said.
But rescuing the remaining five people, which includes the boys' 25-year-old soccer coach, could take more than one operation, Mr Narongsak said.
The urgent and dangerous effort has involved the boys diving through the cave's tight and twisting passages, guided by experienced divers.
The Facebook page of the Thai Navy Seals, who have been central to the rescue operation, was updated on Monday night to say "two days, eight boars" — a reference to the "Wild Boars", the name of the boys' soccer team. The message, like most posted by the Seals, ended with the fighting cheer adopted from the US Navy: Hooyah.
Authorities have been rushing to extract the boys, ranging in age from 11 to 16, and their coach from the cave as the annual monsoon bears down on the mountainous region in far northern Chiang Rai province. Workers have been labouring around the clock to pump water out of the cave. However, heavy downpours overnight did not raise water levels inside, authorities said on Monday.
Mr Narongsak said the four boys rescued on Sunday were in good spirits.
"This morning they said they were hungry and wanted to eat khao pad grapao," he said, referring to a Thai dish of meat fried with chili and basil and served over rice.
The four are still undergoing medical checks in a hospital in Chiang Rai city, the provincial capital, and were not yet allowed close contact with relatives due to fear of infections. Relatives were able to see them through a glass partition, Mr Narongsak said.
The boys and their coach went exploring in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system on June 23 after a soccer practice but were cut off when a rainstorm flooded the cave. A massive international search operation was launched and it took 10 days to locate the boys, who had taken shelter on a dry slope deep in the complex.
The search and rescue operation has riveted people both in Thailand and internationally, with journalists from across the globe travelling to the town along the border with Myanmar to report on the ordeal.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha visited the cave to inspect the operation on Monday, with navy rescuers giving him a rousing cheer.
Authorities have said extracting the entire team from the cave could take up to four days, but two straight days of success raised hopes that it could be done faster.
Monday's mission involved 18 divers from Thailand and abroad.
Mr Narongsak said rescuers were planning for the next day's operation. "We believe that we can do even better and it will be a 100 per cent success," he said.
He said it was not decided whether all five people still in the cave would be rescued on Tuesday. "It depends on the plan. We have set the plan for four people so if they want to take five out [at the same time], then they need to change the plan."
The perilous rescues have involved two divers accompanying each of the boys, all of whom have been learning to dive only since July 2, when searchers found them.
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Read more: Everything we know about the Thai cave rescue
Editorial: Global support for Thai boys is inspiring
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Cave rescue experts have said they consider an underwater escape to be a last resort, especially with people untrained in diving.
The death on Friday of a former Thai Navy Seal underscored the risks. The diver, the first fatality of the rescue effort, was working in a volunteer capacity and died on a mission to place air canisters along the passage to where the boys are, necessary for divers to safely travel the five- to six-hour route.
There were several concerns that prompted authorities to move forward with the plan to get the boys out. One was that it was unknown how safe and dry the area where they had taken shelter would stay as Thailand's rainy season, which lasts until late October, picks up pace.
The other, and perhaps more worrying factor, was that oxygen levels in the complex were falling close to dangerous levels.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
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Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
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Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
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Results
Match 1 – UAE won by 4 wickets
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Match 3 – UAE won by 25 runs
Match 4 – UAE won by 77 runs
Fixture
Match 5, Saturday, 9.30am start, ICC Academy, Dubai
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
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Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
Sanju
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Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
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