Thailand cave rescue: 12 boys to be discharged from hospital next week
After cave ordeal, Thai boys face a new battle: Fame
After pondering for days how to get the 13 out, a rescue operation was launched on Sunday.
Twelve Thai boys, who have been rescued from a flooded cave in northern Thailand, will finally be discharged from hospital next week. All 12 boys and their football coach, trapped for more than two weeks deep inside a flooded Thai cave, were rescued on Tuesday.
The last group of the 12-member "Wild Boars" football team and their coach was brought out of the Tham Luang cave, near the border with Myanmar, on Tuesday night, safely ending a dangerous rescue and evoking international relief and joy.
The 12 and their coach are recovering both physically and mentally and will be discharged from hospital on Thursday, July 19, health minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said on Saturday.
"We need to prepare both the children and their families for the attention they will receive when they come out," he said.
The "Wild Boars" football team and their coach got trapped on June 23 while exploring the cave complex in the northern province of Chiang Rai after football practice and a rainy season downpour flooded the tunnels.
British divers found the 13, hungry and huddled in darkness on a muddy bank in a partly flooded chamber several kilometres inside the complex, on Monday last week.
After pondering for days how to get the 13 out, a rescue operation was launched on Sunday when four of the boys were brought out, tethered to rescue divers.
Another four were rescued on Monday and the last four boys and the coach were brought out on Tuesday.
(With inputs from Reuters)