Mission to rescue boys from Thai cave underway
Bangkok, July 8 : A perilous mission to evacuate 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach trapped deep inside a flooded cave in northern Thailand was underway on Sunday, according to authorities.
"Our readiness is at the highest today. Today is D-day," said Chiang Rai Governor, Narongsak Osotthanakorn.
At 10 a.m., an international contingent of 13 specialist divers descended into the watery network of underground tunnels below the Mae Sai mountains.
Rescuers have described the mission as a dwindling window of opportunity, with forecasters predicting the return of heavy monsoon rains in the coming days, effectively sealing off the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex until October.
At the site of the caves, volunteers assisting in the operation described the rescue attempt as a "now or never" scenario.
The boys, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach, are huddled together in a small chamber 4 km inside the cave, surrounded by flood water and with a limited supply of oxygen.
To reach them, divers will need to successfully navigate a network of sprawling narrow tunnels, with officials close to the operation suggesting rescuers will use a "buddy" system, with each diver paired with a child.
Extra oxygen tanks will also be positioned along the route, CNN reported.
On the road leading to the tunnels, a near continuous convoy of trucks and military vehicles delivered troops and medical equipment equipment, including a large cache of oxygen tanks .
On Saturday evening, numerous international military advisers could be seen entering the site, followed later by four monks.
Even if the divers are successful, it will be many hours before the fate of the boys and their rescuers will be known.
Thai authorities say it takes around 11 hours for divers to complete the round trip.
The boys went missing on June 23 after they had entered the cave complex during fine weather but became trapped when a sudden downpour flooded the narrow tunnels.
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BJP names 9 candidates for RS polls, party chief Nitin Nabin to contest from Bihar
New Delhi (PTI): BJP national president Nitin Nabin was on Tuesday nominated as the party's candidate from Bihar for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released a list of nine candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls, fielding its former West Bengal unit chief Rahul Sinha and Chhattisgarh unit vice-president Laxmi Verma from the respective states.
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Assam PWD Minister Jogen Mohan and MLA Terash Gowalla will be the saffron party's candidates for the elections to the Upper House of Parliament from the state.
The BJP has also nominated its Odisha unit president, Manmoham Samal, and leader Sujit Kumar, an incumbent Rajya Sabha MP, as candidates from the state for the upcoming polls.
BJP leader Shivesh Kumar will join the fray from Bihar and Sanjay Bhatia, a former Lok Sabha MP of the party, will be its candidate from Haryana. Kumar is Bihar BJP's general secretary.
The names of the candidates have been approved by the party's central election committee, BJP national general secretary Arun Singh said.
