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After Ten Days Trapped in a Cave in Thailand, a Difficult Rescue Lies Ahead (30 photos)

In northern Thailand, hundreds of international rescue workers spent the past ten days searching for a group of twelve boys, ages between 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old soccer coach who became trapped in a cave after flooding caused by relentless monsoon rains. Late on July 2, rescue teams discovered all of the boys and their coach alive and in relatively good health, sheltering deep inside the cave complex. Outside the caves, recent days have been difficult for family and friends, who gathered to pray and await any news. Now that they have been found, rescue still remains a difficult task—much of the return trip is under water, and even though pumps are removing a lowering the water level, the rainfall is not letting up. Thai officials are reportedly weighing options that include waiting for passages to become dry enough, or providing the boys with diving gear and having them swim through some submerged sections.