- Four boys and their soccer coach remain stranded in the flooded Tham Luang cave complex in Thailand.
- A total of eight boys have been rescued so far: Four on Sunday, and four on Monday.
- Officials said rescuers have been planning to save four people at a time, suggesting that one member of the soccer team might have to stay behind for even longer.
Four boys in the Thai soccer team stuck in a flooded cave complex are still stranded there, and will have to wait at least a night before they can be freed.
A total of eight boys have been rescued from the Tham Luang cave network so far. Four boys were extracted on Monday, while four others were taken out on Sunday.
All the boys who have been rescued are in hospital and in good condition, Narongsak Osotthanakorn, the leader of the command center in charge of the rescue mission, told reporters at a press conference on Monday night.
The next phase of the rescue operation is likely to take place tomorrow, reporters on the scene said, although Narongsak declined to provide an exact time.
He said, according to The Guardian: "We have to prepare equipment that will take another 20 hours. I can't give you exact timing [for the next operation]."
Narongsak added that rescuers have only been planning to save four people at a time, suggesting that one member of the soccer team, or the coach, may have to stay behind after the third phase of rescue operations.
A team of divers, medics, counselors, and Thai Navy SEALs had been staying with the team since they were found last week.
Will last 5 be released tomorrow? "I can't tell. I am not in charge of this as it is up to the diving team. Their plan is designed for rescuing four." #ThamLuangRescue
— michael safi (@safimichael) July 9, 2018
Monday's rescue mission started around 11 a.m. local time, and ended around 8 p.m., according to Channel News Asia reporter Saksith Saiyasombut. It took two hours less than the first mission, Narongsak added.
The Wild Boars soccer team had been stranded in the cave complex since June 23, when water levels partially flooded the escape routes, making it difficult to get out.
Rescuers found them huddled on top of a dry rock about 2 1/2 miles from the cave's entrance after nine days of searching.
None of the rescued boys' identities have been revealed.
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