AN EIGHTH boy has been saved from the cave in Thailand today as the second day of the rescue operation ends - leaving four lads and their coach still trapped inside.

Yesterday, a dream team of 13 cave divers and five Thai Navy SEALs helped give four of the kids their first breath of fresh air in 15 days.

32 One of the boys to be rescued today is taken from an ambulance to a waiting chopper Credit: Dan Charity - The Sun

Following confirmation that a fifth child was saved this morning, officials said the sixth, seventh and eighth boys had also been stretchered from the flooded complex.

Authorities have confirmed that the final four lads and their 25-year-old football coach will remain in the cave for another night.

The condition or the indentity of those rescued today is unknown while the lads saved on Sunday are being treated in hospital and are said to be in good health.

Ambulances with flashing lights and helicopters were seen leaving the cave area hours after the rescue operation resumed at 11am local time this morning.

WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

Four more boys have reportedly been rescued from the cave in Chiang Rai today after another four were saved on Sunday

Remaining lads and their coach remain in the dark tunnel complex

The rescue operation re-started at 11am local time today

Pictures show the rescued boys taken on stretchers to choppers outside caves

Operation ahead of schedule due to the walkable water level in parts of the cave network

Rescued boys swam through 1km of murky water with the help of two elite divers

32 The dangerous operation involves navigating kids who cannot swim through narrow tunnel gaps

32 An emergency team believed to be carrying one of the rescued boys are seen rushing to a helicopter bound for a hospital in Chiang Rai Credit: AP:Associated Press

32 Ambulances ferried the lads to helicopters, which took them to hospital Credit: Getty Images - Getty

32 An ambulance believed to be carrying the fifth rescued lad is seen leaving the area near the cave complex Credit: DEBI EDWARD / ITV

32 An ambulance with flashing lights speeds one of the lads from the cave today Credit: AP:Associated Press

32 The boy is rushed to a helicopter by rescue workers Credit: Reuters

32 A helicopter takes off to carry one of the boys to hospital today Credit: AFP or licensors

Animation of Thai cave shows the obstacles facing rescuers trying to extract the 12 boys and their football coach

Despite overnight rain showers, Thai authorities said the downpours did not change water level in cave.

Sunday's near-four hour rescue bid, led by British divers, was described as a “masterpiece” and saw the children swimming through the deadly tunnel network which claimed the life of a Navy SEAL last week.

They were guided out by two scuba divers each wearing full face breathing masks but are now being kept away from their parents over potential risk of infection, officials said.

The lads were named in local media as Monhkhol Boonpiam, 13, Prachak Sutham, 14, Natthawut Thakhamsai, 14, and Phipat Phothi, 15.

32 Nattawoot Thakamsai, 14, suffers from asthma while his parents have already lost a child to cancer

32 Prajak Sutham, 14, whose nickname is Note, is said to be a “quiet but sport-loving boy” and was the second lad rescued

32 Pipat Bodhu, 15, also known as Nick, is not even a member of the football team but is a pal of the goalkeeper. He was the last boy rescued on Sunday

32 Monhkhol Boonpiam, 13, also known as Mark, was the first lad rescued Credit: PA

Thai cave rescue latest: live stream

Rescue mission chief Narongsak Osottanakorn said the four boys who were saved on Sunday were in good spirits despite being hungry.

He said: “They are well and happy. This morning they complained that they are hungry and they asked for fried basil with rice."

Speaking at a news conference earlier today, Osatanakorn said: "All conditions are still as good as they were yesterday.

"The boys' strength, the plan today, we are ready like before. And we will do it faster because we are afraid of the rain."

32 The eight boys who spent last night in the cave. The indentities of the lads rescued today have not been confirmed

32 The Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital in Chiang Rai where the boys are being treated Credit: EPA

32 Medics wait in one of nine ambulances stationed outside the Tham Luang cave complex Credit: REUTERS

32 Two helicopters wait near the cave for more evacuations of the boys and their coach Credit: AP:Associated Press

Monhkhol, also known as Mark, was the first to taste freedom before being followed by "quiet but sport-loving” Prajak.

Third out the cave was asthma-sufferer Nattawoot whose parents lost a a baby daughter to cancer.

Last out was Pipat, also known as Nick, who was not even a member of the football team but came along with his pal who is the goalkeeper.

Three were airlifted to Prachanukroh Hospital in provincial capital a Chiang Rai yesterday evening while another was driven in hospital.

Nightmare may have only just begun The brave boys and their coach may suffer a huge mental and physical toll caused by their harrowing ordeal, experts warn. The ordeal could trigger muscle atrophy, infections, a confused body clock and PTSD-triggering trauma. Dr Sam Oliver, from Bangor University, told The Sun Online the boys may be suffering from the "perfect storm" of psychological stress, sleep disruption, nutritional restriction and dehydration. He said: "Work by our lab and others has shown all these factors can impair the immune system, most likely by increasing immunosuppressive stress hormones, and this increases risk of infection and illness. "In time the lack of sun exposure may also add to stresses by decreasing vitamin D status." Neil Greenberg, a professor with Defence Mental Health at King’s College London, said there was a possibility the boys could develop PTSD, a generalised anxiety disorder, or what is known as "adjustment disorder". They would require a lot of support from family and friends after being freed, but until then it was important no-one - including the boys' family members - pass on their anxieties about the situation. He said: "At this stage the whole focus has to be 'keep strong'. What they'll probably be trying to do is mention 'here we are, we're a team, we're going to be OK'. "We know that when people are captive, for any reason, that when they get out of it there is a bounce back effect, we call it the transitional effect, from when they're released, to getting back to normal."

32 A graphic showing how each lad will be chaperoned out of the cave by two expert divers

Thai Navy SEALs posted after the successful first leg of the operation: “Tonight we can sleep well.”

After the four were pulled to safety, rescue efforts in the Chang Hai province were stopped because divers used all of their oxygen tanks.

They had been working for hours, during a gruelling operation that began just after 10am local time and finished just before 7.45pm.

At least nine ambulances loaded with stretchers and blue oxygen tanks waited in the cave area this morning.

The mood was fairly relaxed among the soldiers, medics, engineers and volunteers in yellow shirts that milled around.

32 One of the boys is stretchered to a rescue chopper after they were saved by elite divers

32 The boys are evacuated to an air ambulance which will fly them to a nearby hospital for further treatment

Ambulance arrives at hospital as first two of Thai soccer team rescued from ​the Chiang Rai​ cave​ system​

"I feel very happy, everybody is happy," said Hnin Jaiwong, the mother of one of the trapped boys, 13-year-old Sompong Jaiwong.

"I don't know if he is out, they didn't tell us," she said as she rested in a hut close to the mouth of the cave.

A source inside the Chiang Rai Prachanukroh hospital where the first four boys are being kept said their condition was "not bad" but doctors were watching for signs of conditions such as hypothermia.

The operation to save the other eight boys and their 25-year-old coach is now underway.

It is hoped that by Tuesday all members of the Wild Boars will be back to safety.

32 A convoy of ambulances rush the young lads to hospital Credit: EPA

32 Divers have rescued four of the Thai schoolboys trapped in a cave

The players - aged 11 to 16 - have been trapped in Tham Luang cave in Mae Sai district for 15 days.

Officials made a move to get them out after rain set in - with torrential monsoon downpours forecast for the coming days.

Governor of northern Chiang Rai province Narongsak Osottanakorn said rescuers were in a “war against water”.

He said: “The fear was that if we didn’t move now the rain would gush down the mountain and fill the cave leaving the boys in an even worse situation than there in in the first place.

32 Medical teams wait anxiously outside the caves to help the stricken young boys Credit: Getty Images - Getty

“The divers are all international all-stars and we selected five our best to help them.”

Australian doctor Richard Harris checked the boys on Saturday and gave them the all clear before they were evacuated.

According to local media, Dr Harris convinced officials to change the rescue plan and bring the weakest lads out first - because he feared they may have not survived in the cave much longer.

Reporters and camera crews were moved away from the area around the cave early yesterday morning.

Parents of the kids had to sign a waiver agreeing to let their kids be rescued.

Australian doctor's pivotal role in rescue operation An Aussie doctor was reportedly responsible for persuading rescuers to change their strategy and pull the weakest boys out first. After assessing the 12 children, Dr Richard Harris, 53, from Adelaide, told officials that he feared the frailer lads may not survive another night in the cave, according to reports. The original plan was to save the strongest boys from the tunnel complex in northern Thailand first. Dr Harris, who has 30 years of diving experience, risked his own life to make the journey through the cave on Sunday morning to check the boys.

32 The mission to rescue the Thai children trapped in a cave has begun Credit: EPA

On Friday a former Thai Navy SEAL diver died while taking part in the mission.

The effort to free the boys from the cave has attracted experts from all over the world including the USA, Europe, Australia, China and Japan.

US president Donald Trump tweeted: “The U.S. is working very closely with the Government of Thailand to help get all of the children out of the cave and to safety. Very brave and talented people!”

Before the rescues began, American tech billionaire Elon Musk had his SpaceX engineers working on a “tiny, kid-size submarine” constructed out of parts from a Falcon 9 rocket.

The remaining nine-strong party will endure another long wait in the dark and dank caves before rescuers can bring them home.

The first four were saved by elite divers just after 1pm UK time.

Each rescued boy has made the arduous journey through the murky water of the cave network with the help of two elite divers.

It is thought the lads swam through 1km of water, and walked through other sections of the tunnels, as they finally returned home after 15 gruelling days.

32 The rescue team has entered the cave complex, which is flooded with water Credit: AFP or licensors

The boys received treatment at a field hospital, next to the mouth of the cave network, before being taken to a nearby facility for further treatment in Chang Rai.

After the first two boys were saved today, Tossathep Boonthong, chief of Chiang Rai's health department, said: "Two kids are out. They are currently at the field hospital near the cave.

"We are giving them a physical examination."

Thirteen separate medical teams are on site - each with a helicopter and ambulance - to offer emergency treatment to each boy and their coach.

32 A rescue worker washes his hands in water pumped out of the cave Credit: Getty Images - Getty

The rescue crews searching for their friends comprises of 13 foreign divers, including seven Brits, and five Thai, who entered the cave at 10am local time today.

To escape, the boys must swim through dark, narrow passageways sometimes no more than two feet wide, that have challenged some of the world's leading cave divers.

A rope system has been put in place to help the boys over difficult ground.

Osottanakorn told reporters: "Today is the D-day. The boys are ready to face any challenges."

He added that conditions were currently "perfect" but there are fears monsoon rains and further flooding could follow.

32 Thai soldiers carry a pump to the cave as rescuers try to keep the water levels low Credit: Reuters

Footage of Saman Kunan, Thai cave volunteer who died trying to save trapped schoolboys, preparing to fly out to join rescue mission

Osottanakorn said: "Now and in the next three or four days, the conditions are perfect [for evacuation] in terms of the water, the weather and the boys' health."

Authorities have said it takes roughly 11 hours to do a round-trip from the cave entrance to where the boys are huddled on a muddy bank.

While they waited to be saved last week, the trapped boys sent tear-jerking letters to their parents pleading with them not to worry.

Delivered by divers on Friday, the notes told their families that they were being well looked after.

Experienced Brit rescue diver Tim Acton is helping the Thai Navy rescue the lads.

His proud Dad John said: "We are not surprised that Tim was asked - or that he volunteered to help without a second thought.

"Tim has always looked for a challenge and wanted to help."

One of the youngsters even joked about not forgetting his birthday and called the Thai Navy Seals looking after them their "brothers".

32 A pig’s head was brought to the cave this week as a sacrifice to keep the children safe

32 The lads' coach apologised to parents. The note reads: 'The children said don't worry about them. They are all strong.' Credit: Reuters

32 More than 100 shafts are being drilled by workers into the rock to try to reach the boys from above Credit: AFP or licensors

32 Oxygen is being pumped into the cave amid fears the air could run out Credit: Getty Images - Getty

In the collective letter from all 12 children they say they want to go "straight home".

One lad, Sompong Jaiwong, 13, wrote: "Don't worry about me. I am safe now. I love you."

Panumas Saengdee, 13, wrote: "I miss everyone. I miss grandpa, auntie, mum, dad and all my brothers and sisters."

And Duangphet Promthep, also 13, wrote: "I am good but it's a little bit cold here. Don't worry about me. And don't forget to organise a birthday party for me."

32 Media are camped outside the mouth of the cave as frantic rescue efforts continue Credit: AFP or licensors

32 A worried relative of one of the boys speaks on the phone today Credit: AFP or licensors

It comes as the coach who organised the ill fated trip has apologised to the boy's parents.

Ekapol Chanthawong, the 25-year-old coach of the Wild Boars football team, wrote: "To the parents of all the kids, right now the kids are all fine, the crew are taking good care.

"I promise I will care for the kids as best as possible. I want to say thanks for all the support and I want to apologise to the parents."

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Rescuers drilled more than 100 shafts through mountain rock as they desperately tried to reach the trapped footballers.

However, sadly the mission has already claimed one life.

Former Thai Navy SEAL Saman Kunan, 37, died after running out of oxygen as he returned from delivering air tanks to the flooded cave.

The boys, 11 to 16, and their coach went exploring in the cave after a football match on June 23.

Monsoon flooding cut off their escape and prevented rescuers from finding them for almost 10 days.