MAE SAI, Thailand (CBSNewYork) — The race to save eight boys and their soccer coach trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand continues Monday, a day after four boys were safely brought to the surface. Multiple sources tell CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy that rescue workers carried a person on a stretcher to an ambulance and that a sixth may be nearing the surface. The second phase of the rescue operation began around 11 a.m. local time (midnight ET) and is expected to take several hours. MORE FROM CBS NEWS Thai officials said the boys are hungry but in good health. The goal Monday is to get them out before heavy rain forecasted makes it even more difficult to reach them. “You can’t make a horror movie that would even compare,” said Anmar Mirza with the National Cave Rescue Mission. “I’ve been involved in cave rescue for 30 years and I cannot even think of one that was more complicated.” On Sunday, ambulances rushed four of the 12 boys to hospitals after divers rescued them from the flooded cave, where the boys, ages 11 to 16 and their 25-year-old coach, have been trapped for more than two weeks . “Think about the responsibility of taking a kid under/beneath there and the conditions are really scary,” said rescuer Rafael Aroush. The first four out were the healthiest members of the team. Divers guided them though more than two miles of dark and narrow tunnels filled with murky water and strong currents. “The trust factor between the children and diver makes it,” said Mizra. “It’s probably 90 percent of what gets them out of the cave.” Two divers will escort each child as they stick to a cave line that stretches a mile and a half. Divers have taught the boys to breathe though full face scuba gear for the areas they must swim underwater. At this point, it’s not clear how much the overnight rain has impacted water levels inside the cave.
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Rescue Of Boys From Flooded Cave In Thailand Continues
