This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Thai authorities have said that 12 boys stranded inside a cave will not be imminently rescued – less than a day before the expected arrival of monsoon rains that could seal them inside for months.

Narongsak Osatanakorn, the governor of Chiang Rai province, said that rescuers were striving to free the boys and their 25-year-old coach, Ekapol Chanthawong, before it rained but would only do so if there was “minimum risk” to their lives.

“If we face the heavy rain, we must bring the kids out,” he told a midnight press briefing on Friday. “But if the situation is stable [inside their chamber], we can let them stay.”

He said the boys’ parents had written their sons letters that had been delivered 3.2km (2 miles) inside the cave, where the group have been sheltering on a high ledge for two weeks.

Plans to shepherd the boys out of the jagged, narrow and muddy cave were put on hold based on the latest information from divers, he said.

Earlier on Friday authorities had warned that oxygen levels inside the chamber had fallen to 15% of the air the boys were breathing. Normal levels are around 21%.



“We are afraid of the weather and the [lack of] oxygen in the cave but we have to try to set the plan and find which plan is best,” Osatanakorn said.

The boys, aged 11 to 16, were practising breathing in scuba masks but were not yet ready to make the journey through the cave, which has been significantly drained but some stretches still require breathing equipment to traverse. “The boys are not suitable [and] cannot dive at this time,” he said.

It was not clear whether an air pipe being constructed from the cave entrance to the boys was complete but Osatanakorn said air levels in the area were “still okay”.

Play Video 1:27 'We'll bring the kids home': footage emerges of Thai rescue diver who died – video

“The kids can walk and play inside,” he added.

The danger facing the boys was underscored by the death around 1am on Friday of Saman Kunan, 38, a former Thai navy officer. Authorities said he fell unconscious from “a lack of air” while helping to place air tanks along the route towards the boys.

His body was sent to Bangkok and a royal-sponsored funeral was held for him on Friday.

The elation that greeted the discovery of the children on Monday had turned to gloom by Friday with the news of Kunan’s death and the impending rain.

Intense monsoon showers are expected to hit on Saturday and will undo days of work to drain the cave system.

The rescue operation has succeeded in clearing at least 130m litres of water from the cave but it is unclear how much more needs to be removed before authorities will risk removing them.

The race against time has drawn global attention – including from Fifa, which on Friday extended an invitation to the boys to attend the World Cup final should they be released

The tech entrepreneur Elon Musk also said on Friday he was sending employees from his companies SpaceX and Boring to see if they could aid the Thai-led international effort.

Additional reporting by Veena Thoopkrajae