Thai youth soccer team trapped in a cave

[hoosierdoc]

This is a tough situation and one that is right up INGO's alley I think. The team went to a closed cave system to write their names on a wall as an initiation. Then the rains came and flooded their exit tunnels. I believe they were missing about 10 days before divers made contact with them. Everyone is still alive but one diver has died when he ran out of air. Huge international collaboration to bring help and expertise. Elon Musk is sending his Boring Company people over there to see if they can help.

One of the options is to wait four months until rains recede and they can walk out. Another is teaching the boys to scuba dive and bring them out. Problem is bringing that many tanks in and how dang far it is. 2.5 miles back to where they are is taking 5 hours for experienced divers.

They have had plenty of food delivered. Oxygen levels are depleting. I believe there's a communication cable in place so they can talk to families. I can't even imagine.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/07/06/world/asia/thai-cave-rescue.html

 

[gunsisgood]

Have also heard they are considering drugging them to make it less dangerous for rescue operation.

 

[hoosierdoc]

So they don’t freak out and injure the rescuers? I imagine you’d need them awake and cooperative but if they freak out maybe not

 

[Libertarian01]

Years ago I took an interest in spelunking, caving. Did it in a wild cave once. While I didn't do much I read a lot. Cave diving is damned dangerous!!! Experienced divers can and do still die regularly due to a host of issues. These kids being found is a great thing, but anyone who thinks that getting them out by diving would be safe is woefully mistaken. I don't know that drugging them would be good, but a panicked diver would be horrific. Either way sucks huge. This is one of those lesser evils decisions that has to be made and I'd hate to be the one trying to make it.

Regards,

Doug

 

[hoosierdoc]

Exactly. They’d need a strict “no information” policy once they start bringing kids out. No word whether anyone made it or not IMO

 

[BehindBlueI's]

So they don’t freak out and injure the rescuers? I imagine you’d need them awake and cooperative but if they freak out maybe not

Calm sleepy people use less oxygen than panicky "fight of flight mode" people.

I spent lunch with one of our former rescue divers recently and he was discussing this. The amount of time you have on a given tank varies hugely based on how much air you use due to physical activity or emotional state.

 

[gunsisgood]

So they don’t freak out and injure the rescuers?

Yes, they also said it would be like moving a parcel.

 

[Spear Dane]

So they don’t freak out and injure the rescuers? I imagine you’d need them awake and cooperative but if they freak out maybe not

A little Valium never hurt anyone.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I saw Musk mentioned the possibility of putting a long flexible tube down through the cave and then inflating it "like a bouncy castle", and then the trapped people could exit via the tube. I don't know what distance they are talking or how realistic it is, but on the face it doesn't sound like a terrible plan if such a tube and air pump could be manufactured and shipped there in time.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

A little Valium never hurt anyone.

"Mother's Little Helper".

 

[BehindBlueI's]

https://arstechnica.com/science/201...d-submarine-to-rescue-teens-in-thailand-cave/

Elon Musk tweeted on Saturday that a team of SpaceX engineers is hours away from completing work on a "tiny kid-sized submarine" that could be used to extract 12 teenagers and preteens who are stranded with their soccer coach in a flooded cave in Thailand. Musk has had a team of engineers working on the problem for the last couple of days and has been keeping the world updated on the work via Twitter.

 

[amboy49]

When I first saw this story it made me think of a movie from the early 50’s titled “Ace in the hole” starring Kirk Douglas. Not sure if anyone else may remember it. The basic plot is an on the ropes newspaperman (Douglas) stuck on a small town newspaper wants/needs a big story to help launch his career back to the big time. When a single miner gets trapped in a mine cave-in Douglas arrives on the scene to cover the story but then manages to get a poorly conceived rescue method implemented that prolongs the miner being trapped. The miner eventually dies as a result of Douglas’ selfish attempt to capture the national news story with his byline.

Wondering how long this news event will remain on the front page. It would seem they have hundreds, if not thousands, of people working on this. Surely there is a reasonable safe solution that can be affected in relatively short order (?)

 

[GlockRock]

They decided to bring them out tonight. Should know by the morning if the first ones made it. Said it’d be days before they’re all out.

 

[churchmouse]

When I first saw this story it made me think of a movie from the early 50’s titled “Ace in the hole” starring Kirk Douglas. Not sure if anyone else may remember it. The basic plot is an on the ropes newspaperman (Douglas) stuck on a small town newspaper wants/needs a big story to help launch his career back to the big time. When a single miner gets trapped in a mine cave-in Douglas arrives on the scene to cover the story but then manages to get a poorly conceived rescue method implemented that prolongs the miner being trapped. The miner eventually dies as a result of Douglas’ selfish attempt to capture the national news story with his byline.

Wondering how long this news event will remain on the front page. It would seem they have hundreds, if not thousands, of people working on this. Surely there is a reasonable safe solution that can be affected in relatively short order (?)

I remember that movie.

 

[Kutnupe14]

Well, for all those concerned, let's say a prayer for those kids, with the hopes they are returned safely to their parents. If that's in your wheelhouse.

 

[churchmouse]

Well, for all those concerned, let's say a prayer for those kids, with the hopes they are returned safely to their parents. If that's in your wheelhouse.

It is.

 

[Super Bee]

Six of them out this morning.


https://nypost.com/2018/07/08/first-boys-have-emerged-from-cave-in-thailand/

 

[Sylvain]

US military personnel showed up on site.

Lots of great pictures and map of the cave in that article.

SIX members of Thai soccer team are OUT of the cave - other players and coach to be saved tomorrow | Daily Mail Online

 

[Gabriel]

Strangely this is only the second time I've heard about this since my wife mentioned something about it the other day.

 

[rhino]

I hope they save them all! Extracting the first four will mean any available oxygen will last longer for those still trapped.

If they're bringing them out with SCUBA gear, I'm curious how many air tanks they are staging along the way and at what interval. It could get really complicated if the route is convoluted and is not very large in cross section. On the other hand, if it's more or less a straight shot, they could pull them back with ropes.

Again, the focus is on the safe recovery of the kids and coach, but I really hope they get lots of video of the rescue because it's going to make an amazing story when they are successful (and I said "when").