When I first heard the news about some boys trapped in a
cave in Thailand I was not so interested. I thought it was a small incident. I
did not expect a cave to be so deep. Only later did I know that the boys were
several kilometers deep inside the cave. They had gone deeper to avoid the
water flooding the cave due to the heavy monsoon rains. When divers located
them and the boys were shown smiling on TV, I felt more concerned about their
safety. Now there were faces to relate to. Those boys had survived without food
for about two weeks and had to drink water from melted ice. Yet they were
smiling.
Divers had a difficult task bringing the boys out safely.
Some parts of the cave were very narrow and only one person could go through at
one time. Fast flowing muddy waters made visibility low and there were sharp
rocks that added to their woes. The boys did not know diving and their oxygen
tank had to be carried by a diver. The boys were sedated so that they would not
panic under water. Divers from Thailand and some foreign countries were
involved in the rescue attempt. Sadly, one Thai diver died in the rescue
attempt. Within a few days divers brought out all the boys and their coach
safely. It was inspiring.
