What happened to… Thai cave rescue, Part 1
Global News
The 2018 Thai cave rescue quickly became an international spectacle that captured the attention of people all around the world.
On this episode of What happened to…?, Erica Vella revisits the Thai cave rescue and the international efforts that went into the mission to save the 12 boys and their soccer coach.
The 2018 Thai cave rescue quickly became an international spectacle that captured the attention of people all around the world.
Twelve boys and their soccer coach were exploring the Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai when the cave suddenly flooded, trapping the team. Monsoon season came early that year, and the cave became blocked by heavy rainwater.
Rick Stanton is one of the world’s most renowned cave divers and travelled from England to assist with the rescue.
“When we arrived on site, there was. It was complete chaos,” he said.
“It was hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands, of people milling around.”
Stanton got to work right away under difficult conditions and he knew accessing the cave wasn’t going to be easy.
“The cave was continuing to flood to the point that we could not dive beyond the third chamber. It was impossible to progress. There was a narrowing of the passage and the current was so strong. So we said it is impossible to go upstream,” he said.