The official in charge of the daring extraction of 12 young boys and their football coach from a deep cave in northern Thailand has predicted that a third mission on Tuesday will be “100 per cent successful” after four more children were freed in dramatic fashion on Monday.

A third rescue attempt would be launched Tuesday afternoon, announced Narongsak Osottanakorn, the governor of Chiang Rai province and the head of the joint command centre coordinating the mission, on Monday evening.

But he would not confirm whether all five of the remaining survivors left huddling for another night in a dark cavern 2.5 miles inside the labyrinthian underground network, would be freed in one go.

The group is believed to include football coach Ekapol Chanthawong, 25.

“For safety, the best number is four,” he said, raising the possibility that one of the party could be left behind for another 24 hours.