Already on Friday evening, rescuers pulled a 23-year-old young man from the village of Ban Pha Yai out of the cave, who was immediately taken to the hospital. For the other four men, they were supposed to leave on Saturday afternoon.
Originally, it was assumed that the divers would have to take them out one by one due to the flooded tunnels, thanks to the constant pumping of water from the cave, the level eventually dropped significantly. The villagers therefore found the way on their own, the BBC website pointed out.
The divers were quite taken aback. “I was just putting on a wetsuit to jump into the water when they suddenly surfaced,” said Australian lifeguard Josh Davids.
His Finnish colleague Mikko Paasi was also relieved. “We made a joke about it that as soon as the pump starts and the water level drops, these guys run out without a second thought,” he explained, adding that another search is now planned for the remaining two villagers, CNN reported.
Searching for them should be easier thanks to pumping out the water. “We hope that they managed to climb out and are now somewhere else,” added Paasi in connection with the uncertain health condition of the five rescued men.
