Rescue scenarios

Thai authorities initiated their plan A (crawl and dive) to free the youngsters from the cave, but they did not discard the possibility of alternative solutions if the weather were to complicate the evacuation

THE WAY TO THE EXIT

The children's exit path was full of dangerous nooks and crannies. Here you can compare the sizes of the grottoes they encountered on their outward journey

BOYS RESCUED

The boys' health was checked at the scene and then each was taken to hospital using one of two methods

CRAWLING

As most of the cave was drained, the boys could be led out on foot by rescue teams. They faced slime on the cave floor, steep slopes, narrow steps, and stones with sharp edges that could break the skin