Thai cave rescue: 4 more boys rescued by divers
Bangkok, July 9 : Four more boys were rescued on Monday by divers from a flooded cave in northern Thailand, where 12 of them and their soccer coach have been trapped for more than two weeks, authorities said.
Four boys were taken out from the Tham Luang cave complex during a successful first operation on Sunday, while four more were safely brought out on the second day of rescue operation. Now, five people, including coach Ekapol Chantawong remain inside the cave.
The identities of the rescued boys were not confirmed. The group got trapped in the cave on June 23 after heavy rains caused flooding. They were found alive last week by divers.
The Thai Navy Seals confirmed the rescue. The public television broadcast live video of medivac helicopters landing close to a hospital in the city of Chiang Rai. They were believed to be ferrying the rescued boys, the BBC reported.
The same divers who managed to rescue the first group of boys were involved in the second operation. Officials said that conditions were as good as they were on Sunday and that rain did not affect water levels inside the cave.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha delayed a planned visit to the site so as not to disrupt the rescue mission. He had been due at the site in the evening.
Rescue mission chief Narongsak Osottanakorn said physical contact of the rescued with their loved ones would be avoided until a risk of infection had passed, though contact through glass or at a distance might be allowed.
A team of 90 expert divers -- 40 from Thailand and 50 from overseas -- are working in the cave system. They are guiding the boys through darkness and submerged passageways towards the mouth of the cave system.
The process includes a mixture of walking, wading, climbing and diving along guide ropes already in place. Wearing full-face masks, easier for novice divers than traditional respirators, each boy was being accompanied by two divers.
The toughest part is about halfway out at a section named "T-Junction", which is so tight the divers have to take off their air tanks to get through.
Beyond that a cavern -- called Chamber 3 -- has been turned into a forward base for the divers. The boys can rest there before making the last, easier walk out to the entrance.
The boys, aged between 11 and 16, were found inside the cave by British rescue divers a week ago, about 4 km from the cave mouth. They belong to a football club called the Wild Boars and became trapped during an excursion with their coach.
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Sambhal violence: Prohibitory orders issued, outsiders barred from entry till Nov 30
Sambhal (UP) (PTI): The district administration has imposed prohibitory orders and barred the entry of outsiders till November 30 after three men were killed and scores of others, including security and administration personnel, injured in a violence by protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque.
The order has been issued under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), said District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya late on Sunday.
"No outsiders, other social organisations or public representatives will enter the district border without the permission of the competent officer," said the order, which came into force with immediate effect.
Violation of the order will be punishable under Section 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the BNS.
Violence broke out in the district on Sunday as protesters opposing the survey of the Jama Masjid clashed with security personnel. The protesters torched vehicles and pelted the police with stones while the security personnel used tear gas and batons to disperse the mob.
Divisional Commissioner (Moradabad) Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said on Sunday, "Shots were fired by miscreants... the PRO of the superintendent of police suffered a gunshot to the leg, the circle officer was hit by pellets and 15 to 20 security personnel were injured in the violence."
A constable also suffered a serious head injury while the deputy collector fractured his leg.
"Three people, identified as Naeem, Bilal and Nauman, have been killed," Singh said.
Twenty-one people, including two women, have been detained and a probe has been launched, the official had said, adding that those accused in the violence would be booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya said, "The casualty count stands at three. The reason for the deaths of two is clear -- bullet wounds from countrymade pistols. The reason for the death of the third person is not clear but it will be after post-mortem."
Internet services were soon suspended in Sambhal tehsil for 24 hours and the district administration declared a holiday in all schools for Monday.
Tension had been brewing in Sambhal since November 19 when the Jama Masjid was first surveyed on the court's orders following a petition claiming that a Harihar temple had stood at the site.
Trouble started early on Sunday when a large group of people gathered near the mosque and started shouting slogans as the survey team began its work.
District officials said the survey could not be completed on Tuesday and was planned for Sunday to avoid interference with afternoon prayers.
Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who is a petitioner in the case, had earlier said the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) ordered the constitution of an "advocate commission" to survey the mosque.
The court has said a report should be filed after conducting a videography and photography survey through the commission, he had said.
On Sunday, Jain urged the Archaeological Survey of India to take control of the "temple".
Gopal Sharma, a local lawyer for the Hindu side, had earlier claimed the temple that once stood at the site was demolished by Mughal Emperor Babur in 1529.
