In a muddy clearing at the foot of Nang Non mountain, soldiers, medics and rescue workers chattered over the hum of generators and falling water, hoping for the next piece of good news.

Hours before, 12 Thai schoolboys between the ages of 11 and 16 and their 25-year-old football coach were found alive by divers in the nearby cave known as Tham Luang Nang Non, which flooded while they were exploring it on 23 June.

In an instant, an anxious nine-day search operation transformed into a rescue mission, but those spending their days at the rescue camp say they never lost hope that the missing children would be returned to safety.

“One thing I’d like to note about the mood in this camp is that we’ve all been in here as a family, working together, and I never sensed anyone being demotivated. In fact, I sensed a strong hope,” said US Air Force Captain Jessica Tait, a member of a unit of divers, medics, and survival specialists sent to the rescue site last week at the request of the Thai government.

“When we found out the good news, it felt like it was out of a movie. I get chills when I think about that moment and being able to work hard and have such a positive outcome, because you don’t always get that,” she said.

The sense of hope felt by the rescuers is also shared by the dozens of volunteers who have come from across the country to the northern tip of Chiang Rai province to contribute their skills to the rescue effort.

Wisalaya, a woman in her 50s who lives in the surrounding Mae Sai district, is one of the many community members who have set up makeshift kitchens at the site to hand out free meals to anyone who passes by. Throughout the day soldiers, medics, and reporters could be seen standing in two inches of mud, happily slurping noodle soup.

Wisalaya said: “I’m here because I love helping, and I love food.”

Tait acknowledged the importance of the volunteers’ presence: “All the people are here working 24/7, so we’re obviously eating a lot. The Thai people keep bringing us food, and it’s so beautiful because I really think it shows their hospitality, and we’re so grateful for that friendship.”

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Tait said she also finds inspiration in other kinds of international cooperation this rescue effort has necessitated.

“This is a Thai-led, multi-national rescue operation, and what’s fantastic is that you see the US here, the Australians, the Chinese, the British divers, obviously,” she said. “It shows that when militaries train together, it’s for this – it’s for the real world.”

But although the mood at the command centre is decidedly positive, there is little certainty about what will happen next.

After the boys were found sitting on a dry mound about two and a half miles from the cave mouth, Thai officials instructed rescuers that the next phase of the mission would be to teach the boys to dive – a project that would require a food supply to last at least four months.



But on Tuesday, officials said they may attempt to evacuate the group before a fresh round of monsoon rains later this week

“As rain is forecast in the next few days, the evacuation must speed up. Diving gear will be used. If the water rises, the task will be difficult. We must bring the kids out before then,” said Anupong Paojinda, the interior minister, according to the Bangkok Post.

Tait said that neither the diving strategy nor the four-month timeline are set in stone.



“It’s hard to put a timeline on it because of all the different options being explored,” she said. “Obviously, dive operations are happening, but there’s other stuff being looked at as well.”

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These other options include land surveys, searching for alternative openings into the cave, and potentially roping down to extract the boys and the coach.

Tait’s unit includes personnel equipped to provide psychological treatment to the children, whose last 10 days were spent in a pitch-black environment.

“Whatever’s decided, we’ll provide advice and assistance because that’s what we’re here for, and we’re actually supportive of whatever direction is the best,” Tait said. She added: “Sometimes, when there’s a problem, you think there’s just one solution, but that’s only if your mind is closed to other solutions. I’m very certain that the Thai government will choose the best solution for the safety of the children.”