Rescuers were waging a “war with water and time” after heavy rains pelted northern Thailand late Saturday, worsening conditions at the cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach remained trapped for the 14th day.
The rain could undo progress made over the last week to drain the Tham Luang cave complex and spark a rescue attempt, according to reports.
The rescue operation would likely begin Sunday or Monday, said two Royal Thai Army soldiers outside the cave Saturday, citing their superiors.
Authorities placed plastic sheets around the approach to the cave, suggesting a rescue might be imminent.
Time is ticking on a plan to teach the boys, ages 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach to make a dive through narrow passageways that would challenge experienced swimmers.
But the best window for a rescue could come soon, authorities said prior to Saturday night’s rain.
“Now and in the next three or four days, the conditions are perfect [for evacuation] in terms of the water, the weather and the boys’ health,” rescue-operation chief Narongsak Osottanakorn said Saturday. “We have to make a clear decision on what we can do . . . We’re still at war with water and time.”
Osottanakorn’s message of caution came a day after the death of a Thai rescue diver.
Fears of declining oxygen in the cave where the boys and their coach had holed up were eased when rescuers fed an air pipe into the area, accompanied by medics and expert divers.
“When we’re in a confined space, if the oxygen drops to 12 percent, the human body starts to slow down and people can fall unconscious,” Osottanakorn said.
“There’s also carbon dioxide. If the oxygen levels are down and the carbon dioxide levels are up, then you can get too much carbon dioxide in your blood.”
Sustained heavy rains could make the water rise to the shelf where the children are sitting, reducing the area to less than 108 square feet, he added, citing estimates from cave divers and experts.
While rescuers sought alternative routes down into the cave, a vehicle skidded off a dirt track near the scene Saturday, seriously injuring the driver, a passenger, and four volunteers, authorities said.
Billionaire Elon Musk, who has sent a team of nine engineers to the Tham Luang cave to assist in the rescue efforts, tweeted Saturday that an escape pod he was developing might be “safe enough to try.” He provided no further details.
“Also building an inflatable tube with airlocks. Less likely to work, given tricky contours, but great if it does,” Musk said in the tweet.
“Continue to be amazed by the bravery, resilience & tenacity of kids & diving team in Thailand. Human character at its best,” he marveled in another tweet Saturday afternoon.
The Thai defense ministry said the Musk team should reach the cave on Sunday with Wires.
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