Twelve boys and their football coach trapped in a flooded Thai cave for nine days were found alive late Monday, sparking elation after days of painstaking searching by specialist divers through muddy waters and winding tunnels.
There had been no contact with the boys, aged between 11 and 16, since they went missing with their 25-year-old coach last Saturday.
The massive rescue effort had for days been hampered by heavy rains that flooded the Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand, blocking access to chambers where it was hoped the group would be found alive.
But late Monday Chiang Rai provincial governor broke the news of their rescue by naval divers, delighting a nation which has anxiously followed every twist and turn of the dramatic effort to save them. (Agence France Presse)