Thailand cave rescue: The survival story of 2018
Wild boars--Thai cave boys-- cave rescue
2018 was a memorable year. It was marked by highs and lows, smiles and tears, life and death.
It was a year of extremes - from the provocative to the persuasive, from the sublime to the ridiculous.
The year redeemed itself when 12 boys of a junior football team in Thailand were rescued alive from the cave after 17 harrowing days.
The 12 members of the team, aged 11 to 17, and their 25-year-old assistant coach entered Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province of Thailand on June 23. The group had planned to explore the cavern complex for about an hour after football practice.
Shortly afterwards, heavy rains partially flooded the cave, trapping the group inside. Their life hanged in the balance as divers from multiple countries came together to draw up an elaborate rescue plan.
Led by 13 "world class" divers, the boys were accompanied by two adults each, with others stationed in junctions along the way.
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They wore face masks and were tied to buddy divers who carried their oxygen tanks, guiding them through more than two kilometres of narrow, dark corridors using torches and guide ropes.
Each round trip took around 10 hours on average.
The rescue operation was one of the most difficult ones in recent history. The danger was highlighted by the death of a former Navy SEAL as he helped bring oxygen tanks along the route.
Experts had worried that the harrowing journey could make the boys panic, triggering an underwater accident.
Those concerns led rescuers to approve a mild sedative that calmed the youngsters, according to Thailand's junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha.
Prayut said that a "minor tranquiliser" had been used to help keep the kids calm on the terrifying swim to freedom, much of it in water with very low or no visibility.
But, eventually, the rescuers succeeded in bringing all the boys out alive. The boys and their coach lost an average of two kilograms during their ordeal but were generally in good condition after the rescue.