A military transport helicopter carries a drill machine to be used for the rescue search of missing 12 boys and their soccer coach, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand, Monday, July 2, 2018. Rescue divers are advancing in the main passageway inside the flooded cave in northern Thailand where the boys and their coach have been missing more than a week. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Family members react after hearing the news that the missing 12 boys and their soccer coach have been found (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A Thai provincial governor says all 12 boys and their coach have been found alive in the cave where they went missing over a week ago in northern Thailand. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A family member smiles after hearing the news that the missing 12 boys and their soccer coach have been found (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Family members smile after hearing the news that the missing 12 boys and their soccer coach have been found (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Relatives of the missing boys show photos of them after the 12 boys and their soccer coach have been found alive in the cave where they've been missing for over a week (Photo by Linh Pham/Getty Images)

Twelve boys and their football coach who had been missing for more than a week in a cave in northern Thailand have been found alive, officials have said.

Video released by the Thai navy showed the boys in their football kits sitting on a dry area inside the cave above the water as a spotlight, apparently from a rescuer, illuminated their faces.

Chiang Rai provincial governor Narongsak Osatanakorn said the 13 are in the process of being rescued, but warned they are not out of danger yet.

"We found them safe. But the operation isn't over," he said.

Family members of the missing hugged each other as they cheered the news.

Aisha Wiboonrungrueng, the mother of 11-year-old Chanin Wiboonrungrueng, said she would cook her son a Thai fried omelette, his favourite food, when he returns home.

Expand Close A military transport helicopter carries a drill machine to be used for the rescue search of missing 12 boys and their soccer coach, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand, Monday, July 2, 2018. Rescue divers are advancing in the main passageway inside the flooded cave in northern Thailand where the boys and their coach have been missing more than a week. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) AP / Facebook

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Whatsapp A military transport helicopter carries a drill machine to be used for the rescue search of missing 12 boys and their soccer coach, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand, Monday, July 2, 2018. Rescue divers are advancing in the main passageway inside the flooded cave in northern Thailand where the boys and their coach have been missing more than a week. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Rescue divers had spent much of Monday making preparations for a final push to locate the lost footballers, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach. They disappeared when flooding trapped them after entering the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai on June 23.

Mr Narongsak said the divers located them about 300-400 metres past a section of the cave that was on higher ground and was thought to be where the team members and their coach may have taken shelter.

"When the medics have evaluated the kids to see if their health is in good condition, we will care for them until they have enough strength to move by themselves, and then we will evaluate the situation on bringing them out again later," Mr Narongsak said.

In the five-minute navy video, the boys are quiet as they sit down with their legs bent in front of them. They are clad in the kits they apparently were wearing on the morning they disappeared in the cave.

"You are very strong," one of the rescuers says to them in English. One of them asks what day it is, and the rescuer responds, "Monday. Monday. You have been here 10 days".

Anmar Mirza, a leading American cave rescue expert, said many challenges remain for the rescuers. He said the primary decision is whether to try to evacuate the boys and their coach or to supply them in place.

Expand Close Family members react after hearing the news that the missing 12 boys and their soccer coach have been found (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) AP / Facebook

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Whatsapp Family members react after hearing the news that the missing 12 boys and their soccer coach have been found (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

"Supplying them on site may face challenges depending on how difficult the dives are," Mr Mirza, co-ordinator of the US National Cave Rescue Commission.

"Trying to take non-divers through a cave is one of the most dangerous situations possible, even if the dives are relatively easy. That also begets the question: If the dives are difficult then supply will be difficult, but the risk of trying to dive them out is also exponentially greater."

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha thanked the international experts and rescuers who helped locate the missing for their "tremendous efforts".

"The Royal Thai Government and the Thai people are grateful for this support and co-operation, and we all wish the team a safe and speedy recovery," Mr Prayuth's office said.

PA Media