Thailand cave rescue: The moment the first two boys arrived out of the caves where they had been trapped for 15 days was a massive relief. Across the world, on every social media, from Twitter to YouTube and more, people held their breath and hoped against hope that they would be rescued safely. The media were pushed back out of the reception area where medical tents had been set up, according to CNN, as it came closer to the time the divers were expected out of the cave. But they established that rescue divers brought out at least two boys and more are expected to follow.

According to NBC, there were two out and one more on the way. They were taken straight to the field medical tent.

AFP later updated with a Twitter post

Thailand rescue site at the cave was well prepared for the boys

The tent city which sprung up near the entrance to the cave was full of divers, reporters, rescue workers, and volunteers. The parents of the boys were in a house near the scene and reporters were asked, and respected, the request, to give them space. At the end of a nearby road, water was being pumped out the caves in the hope that the boys would not have to keep their heads underwater much.

Fox News reported that the boys were expected to removed four at a time, so the operation will be ongoing for some time. There were ambulances and rescue helicopters set and ready to transfer them to medical attention. But for the brave boys rescued today, the ordeal is mostly over. For the families of the boys still inside, it could be days before they are united.

It takes a round trip of about twelve hours to get to the boys and bring them out again. Time reported that Narongsak Osottanakorn, who heads the rescue mission said at a press conference on Sunday that "It may take two to three days to free all 13 people."

The rescue divers went in at 10 AM local time Sunday

Many media outlets reported that there were eighteen divers involved, saying that 13 of them were international divers and five were Thai.

But later, Channel News Asia tweeted that ten international divers went in at 10. AM local time with three others going in to "support the evacuation at 2 PM. Irrespective, across the world, people were deep in either prayer or positive thoughts for the divers and the boys. This was because one Thai diver had already lost his life during the rescue, and there were fears the boys may panic during the evacuation.

While volunteers and rescue workers waited during the long hours for the boys to emerge, it started to rain quite heavily, raising fears of more flooding while the boys were being brought out of the cave. Flooding would not help diver visibility and would make it harder to get the boys out.

FIFA invites Thai football team to Moscow for World Cup Final

ABC News reported that FIFA had invited the boys to watch the FIFA World Cup 2018 Final in Moscow on July 15. That is only one week away. The gesture is beautiful, but the boys may not all be ready to fly out by then, given the trauma of their stay underground. Nevertheless, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a letter that they recognized the problem.

He noted that "If, as we all hope, they are reunited with their families in the coming days and their health allows them to travel, FIFA would be delighted to invite them to attend the 2018 World Cup final in Moscow as our guests."

The same report noted that rescue workers had been asked by the young footballers how the progress was going with teams at the World cup. Now that at least two of boys are out safely, the possibility grows that they will all be rescued. Even if they cannot make it to FIFA, the world has witnessed what can be done as differences and politics are set aside for the betterment of humanity. The Thailand cave rescue to save the trapped boys has been a magnificent effort that united people across the globe in a common hope.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED