Wild Boar Football Team Stuck Two Weeks In Tham Luang Cave In History Today, 23 June 2018

JAKARTA - On June 23, 2018, a young man who is also the coach of the junior soccer team, Wild Boars took his favorite team to explore a cave. The plan is one hour. They didn't realize they would be trapped in the cave for more than two weeks.

The coach, Ekkapol Chantawong took his team to explore Tham Luang Cave when the monsoon rains hit. The coach and 12 players aged 11-16 years were trapped underground and the cave entrance flooded.

They just brought a rope, flashlight and some batteries. No water or food. The Tham Luang Cave snakes for 10 kilometers beneath the cloud-covered mountains that separate Thailand and Myanmar.

Tham Luang is the fourth largest cave in Thailand. A lot of people went missing in Tham Luang before. Once the rainy season begins in July, the cave changes, from harmless to extremely dangerous.

The cave can flood up to 5 meters during the rainy season and is only allowed to be entered between November and April. "When we went in and got stuck in the cave, at that moment, we saw water. It was full of water," Coach Ek told ABC News.

"I then volunteered to dive to see if I could make it through or not. If I could get through then everyone was safe. So we used the ropes we brought with me."

Wild Boars and their trainers are in a rocky area about 4 kilometers from the cave entrance. Swallowed by the cave and surrounded by darkness, the children and coaches spend their time there.

They continue to instill the will to survive. They use small stones to make a place to snuggle together and keep warm.

The trainer, who is a former monk, teaches the children to do meditation. Meditation helps them stay calm and use as little air as possible.

They also lay still to conserve strength. While outside the cave, a large-scale rescue operation was rapidly taking place. A joint team was deployed.

Authorities summoned the elite seals of the Thai Navy, national police and other rescue teams. Local volunteers also stepped in. Exploring the cave is a challenge as most Navy divers have little experience of diving in caves.

In addition, heavy rains that continued to pour made the water level continue to rise, flooding the cave rooms and delaying several rescue processes. Rescue teams are also trying to drill into the slopes of the mountain, looking for gaps to enter.

They also used drones with thermal sensors to try to find trapped Oak and Wild Boars. The international rescue team was then involved since Thursday, June 28. They are a US Air Force rescue team and cave divers from the UK, Belgium and Australia.

In addition, Scandinavian countries and many other countries also helped. Some had volunteered and some were summoned by the Thai authorities, until finally on July 2, 2018, a British diver managed to find where the children were.

However, evacuation could not be carried out immediately due to various obstacles. Among them are those who are trapped unable to swim. While there is no other choice to get out but to dive. On July 8 2018, the evacuation was actually carried out.

Those rescued were wearing wet suits, life jackets and oxygen. Divers described the evacuation as "package carrying." Those taken out were previously given a ketamine anesthetic, rendering them unconscious and preventing panic.

They were also given anti-anxiety drugs and the drug atropine to stabilize the heart rate. Evacuation is carried out in stages. And on July 10 all the trapped children and coaches were evacuated. In the process of this rescue, one of the rescuers died.

On July 5 2018, at 20:37, Saman Kunan, a 37-year-old former member of the Thai Navy, went on a dive to deliver three oxygen tanks.

On his return, he lost consciousness underwater. His divers tried CPR but to no avail. Kunan was pronounced dead around 1am on 6 July 2018.

The story of the Wild Boars and their trainers has attracted international attention. Those trapped in the cave for more than two weeks become a picture of life determination and miracles.

FIFA had invited the Wild Boars and their coaches to watch the 2018 World Cup final live. However, because they had to undergo intensive treatment, they only watched the World Cup final on TV.

In addition, FC Barcelona invited them to play in an international academy tournament in 2019. Barcelona also provided a place for them to watch team matches at Camp Nou.

In October 2018, the Wild Boars traveled to England as guests at Old Trafford. At that time Manchester United played a home game against Everton. They were also invited to the opening ceremony of the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

*Read other information about WORLD HISTORY or read other interesting articles from Putri Ainur Islam.