Several boys from Thai soccer team rescued from flooded cave, US personnel assist in risky operation

Four of the 12 schoolboys trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand have been rescued, Thai officials say, as rescue operations to save the 12 soccer players and their coach began on Sunday.

What are the details?

The daring rescue mission began early Sunday morning more than 2 weeks after the team became trapped in the cave. An 18-man rescue team — comprised of 13 foreign divers and five Thai Navy SEALs — are rescuing the young boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach.

Chiang Rai Gov. Narongsak Osotthanakorn said at a press conference four boys are safely in the hands of doctors.

"The operation today went quicker than when we rehearsed, 10 minutes quicker," he said, according to CNN.

Thirteen medical teams — each with its own ambulance and helicopter — await the boys and their coach, according to Reuters. Upon rescue, the boys will receive an initial medical assessment at a makeshift triage site before being airlifted to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh hospital, which is about 70 km away from the cave. A team of more than 30 doctors await the boys in Chiang Rai.

The dangerous mission, which required rescuers to traverse flooded, narrow cave passageways, already claimed the life of a former member of Thailand's elite Navy diving team.

To make matters worse, rescuers are facing a "war with water and time" as dangerous monsoon storms and torrential rainfall could derail the mission. Completing the mission could take up to 3 or 4 days, depending on the weather, rescue operators told Reuters.

President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that U.S. personnel were on the ground at the cave site assisting in the operation. CNN reported that U.S. rescue divers did not directly participate in Sunday's initial operations, but that Americans were serving in "support and advisory" roles.

"A significant number of US military and civilian personnel are there on site in an attempt to aid this rescue effort." CNN Pentagon reporter Ryan Browne gives more details about US involvement in the Thai cave rescue. https://t.co/X20Gc9LMLc pic.twitter.com/V8PqZdtRUL

— CNN (@CNN) July 8, 2018

Fox News reported that rescue operators believed the first phase of the operation would take about 12 hours. However, it only took 7 hours and 40 minutes.

The next phase of the operation to rescue the remaining eight players and their coach will begin in 10 to 20 hours, commanders said, giving operators time to replenish supplies and evaluate the rescue plan and weather.