this is bbc news. the top stories. officials in thailand say at least four boys have been rescued from a flooded cave system — as ambulances are seen arriving , leaving the site. the boys and their football coach have been trapped in the complex cave system for almost a fortnight and were found by rescue divers earlier this week. divers have taken the boys through a difficult part of the route. it is understood 90 have been involved in the operation. reports from northern thailand say at least 4 boys from the group trapped in a flooded cave — have been brought out. a major operation involving international divers and elite members of the thai navy has been

taking place to free the 12 boys and their football coach. they became stranded a fortnight ago — when the tunnels became waterlogged by rain. 0ur correspondent is at the hospital. what more could you tell us? this is the main hospital in the chiang rai region, an hour by car from the cave complex where the boys have been rescued from today. four boys. i am just looking, have been rescued from today. four boys. iamjust looking, probably have been rescued from today. four boys. i am just looking, probably a military vehicle there. in the past 90 minutes, we have seen two ambulances arrived. the railings we re ambulances arrived. the railings were moved away. the traffic stopped and the ambulances raced through the entrance to the hospital. we saw police helicopters. helicopters involved in the rescue, flying overhead. and the crucial information comes from a press

conference in the past few minutes, but also the thai navy seals. the elite unit. they say four of the boys have been brought out. as for their condition, we do not know at this point. clearly the teams have waited for their arrival but in terms of how the individual boys are faring we do not know. is there any idea what treatment they might be receiving because they have not seen light for a number of days. the thing to remember is they have had almost a week a doctor with them, who was able to get to the cave and was able to assess them on a daily basis. last night, the former governor in charge of the rescue operation said the boys were strong enough to embark on this rescue attempt. clearly a decision was made there. we had the tell from doctors and nurses here and they say there was a special unit within the hospital that has been set aside for the boys. we do not know if it is

individual cubicles, but certainly specialist teams and they will carry out observation test, blood tests, other normal things you would expect. that is if it is the best outcome, if the boys are able to move through the caves, walk part of the way and get onto a stretcher and be brought here. if they are in more difficulty, if their condition is weaker, the many specialists they have will have a tougherjob. in terms of treatment going on now, thatis terms of treatment going on now, that is not clear. it is reassuring they made their way to the hospital. ican they made their way to the hospital. i can only imagine the degree of relief on the part of families. is there any word from them? we do not know whether the families are here. for the past two weeks we have seen them in different places around the cave complex. they have been in their own area where they were kept up—to—date with latest information and today they would have been the

first to know, given updates from the rescue teams as they started the operation and decided to continue with it. it may be family members are inside now. we do not know, we do not know if they have seen their loved ones yet. clearly a dreadful ordeal, two weeks having to cope with this. first, the dreadful sensation of not knowing what had happened. for nine days the boys we re happened. for nine days the boys were trapped and finally it was the two british amateur divers who located them and basically tell the world they had been found. in terms of the reaction from families, that is something we have not seen. it is still early days. only four boys brought to safety. 13 were in the party so clearly a long way to go. this has really brought the country together. we hear are gripped. i can

only imagine how emotionally charged things are in thailand. thailand is a nation that has been praying for the best, fearing the worst. talk to the best, fearing the worst. talk to the people who live here and they are as one. determined these boys should be rescued. we met some of the well—wishers and volunteers of the well—wishers and volunteers of the site who created a community over the last two weeks. the sense of optimism when they heard the boys had been located, it was incredible. and energy flows through the site and that sustained so many working longships. if you look in the eyes of the divers, they were shattered, but they said they would keep going as long as it takes. clearly, if we have the news in the coming hours these boys have been brought out to safety, there will be jubilation but we are a long way to go. four boys so far, 13 in all. this is the focus

for the coming hours. so far, 13 in all. this is the focus for the coming hourslj so far, 13 in all. this is the focus for the coming hours. i assume it will go on throughout the night. absolutely. we just got a press conference from the authorities and they gave an update. we have listened to colleagues at the cave complex. about an hourfrom here and they have seen the various ambulances drive past them out towards the main road. we have seen the helicopters take off. we expect more boys to be brought here, certainly as and when more boys are taken out. certainly as and when more boys are ta ken out. this certainly as and when more boys are taken out. this will be a long operation because we have heard to reach the boys where they were and back again, it has taken divers, some with 30 years of experience, a lemon hours. this is a hugejourney. during the week we went to a cave ten kilometres away from the spot the boys were trapped. we got a

glimpse of that place and i can tell you it was claustrophobic, hot. the water was murky. if it was flooded in parts, there would have been no visibility. we got information earlierfrom visibility. we got information earlier from the thai navy teams, who explained each boy would be ushered through by two expert divers. the boys would feel their presence as they were moved through. there was a guide rope setup so rather than looking where you were going, people could make their way through bit by bit. the corridors are narrow. it was all part of the problem. notjust going out at an angle, they were going up and down and some of the best cave divers in the world were saying it was a tough challenge. some of these boys could not swim. you could only imagine how they felt this morning, 10am local time, when the decision was made to

embark on this rescue attempt. it is an incredibly difficult situation, but we believe last night they thought yes, it has to happen. the rain started in the last day after four days of glorious sunshine that help them. remember they pumped out so much water that brought the level down and thought they had a golden opportunity to go for this and they have and we wait to see the outcome of it. thank you. keep us posted. 0ur correspondent dan johnson is near the exit of the tunnel. night has fallen, what is the latest?m is falling quiet. there has been a lot of activity in the last few minutes but it looks like people are leaving for the night. wejust minutes but it looks like people are leaving for the night. we just got confirmation from the press conference that is going on that four of the boys have been rescued from the cave and the operation has

concluded for the night. they will leave the rest where they are. we understand the others have not started the journey out. they wanted to ta ke started the journey out. they wanted to take a group of four to see if they could safely make it out and it looks like they achieved that. it has given everyone a positive feeling it is possible, that they can bring the people out safely. but the tiredness levels of the divers leading this operation, they have been working busily all day and it looks like those are the diving teams leaving now. there are 18 specialist divers guiding the boys out. as you heard, it takes many hours to get one boy to the exit of the game. it looks like they took the game. it looks like they took the decision that they have done as —— exit of the cave. everyone needs to ta ke —— exit of the cave. everyone needs to take a rest and we are told they will come back fresh in the morning to stop the operation at 8am. everyone is now positive that they

have proven this rescue method can work and they can teach the boys enough about scuba diving so they are comfortable with the conditions, with the task they have to complete, the track they have to navigate out of the cave, through the flooded underwater caverns, tricky for any cave diver to accomplish, but it looks like four boys have made it and the expectation more will follow tomorrow. it looks like a hive of activity behind you. what is going on? this has the feeling of things winding down. that has been the case of the last 45 minutes. a flood of workers have left the site after the last ambulance we saw. it was around two hours ago we saw the first ambulance driver out where the car is now, with lights flashing. it presumably went to hospital that you heard nick reporting from and that

was followed by three ambulances that left with lights on. we have seen other ambulances leave but without lights flashing. it looks like the four boys were taken separately in the ambulances. 0ther ambulances have left the site, possibly moving away for the night at everyone will return tomorrow morning to restart the rescue effort to get everyone else out. they said today was d—day, an opportunity to go for it and they would try their best to put the plan into action and they have done that and proved it worked for the four who got out that there is work to do and it will be tricky getting the remaining boys and their coach out tomorrow, possibly into the day after. you talk about exhaustion levels, how will it work tomorrow? will there be a tag team format, with other divers going into the caves? we believe it will be the same core team because the expertise and experience

required to manage a rescue mission like this are so limited. there are only a few people who have experienced diving so deep and so far underground in experienced diving so deep and so farunderground ina experienced diving so deep and so far underground in a cave this big. they have come from around the world with five, six nationalities involved in the 18 strong team. those people with that experience in these conditions have been calling these conditions have been calling the shots, assessing whether the boys were ready to start making the journey and they have guided the mission today boys, taking care of them along the way. taking time, nobody wanted to rush it, get things wrong. it looks like they are taking a break and will come back fresh tomorrow. there is a big support tea m tomorrow. there is a big support team with soldiers from the thai military and divers from the thai navy but it was candid it did not have experience working in these conditions and they welcome the international support that they have to use the experience wisely and the

rationale is no point tiring eve ryo ne rationale is no point tiring everyone and wasting experience and energy, let people take their time, come back tomorrow, knowing the rescue method can succeed and knowing they can make it happen for the rest of the people stuck in the cave, but it will need more time. there are still risks. it is raining slightly now and the risk always was if rain started the water levels would increase and it was said they would increase and it was said they would speed that rescue up if it happened but at the moment it looks like they are taking care and putting the plan into operation and it is succeeding. four boys have been taken to hospital. how did they decide which boys to bring out first? may have had doctors in the cave over the weekend assessing the condition of the boys. the cave diving experts have been assessing their strength and confidence, their ability with the scuba diving equipment, but they have had

examinations to assess the impact. there were nine or ten days when they did not eat. they have suffered because of this ordeal but officials in charge thought they had got to a sufficient point today where they we re sufficient point today where they were ready to at least start getting them out. we understand they started with the weakest and we do not know if that means they are weakest in terms of strength, or getting to grips with the scuba—diving technique. they started with the wea kest technique. they started with the weakest boys they thought needed to come out first. they put a small group together. we were told it would be a small group that came out ata time would be a small group that came out at a time and it looks like they started with four, got the map, taken by ambulance, and there is the option of helicopter which has been here on standby. they have to be a certain distance away to find flatla nd certain distance away to find flatland so i'm not sure exactly how they got to hospital but they were

on their way pretty quickly to get treatment and no doubt this will ta ke treatment and no doubt this will take some recovering from, the initial shock and emotional impact. everyone is aware that if the rest are able to leave safely, that is not the end of this, there will be a lot of work to do with these boys for them to come to terms with what has happened and to deal with it. at the moment hopes are the rest of the group can get out safely and join them tomorrow, perhaps into the day after. thank you. amy sawitta lefevre, deputy bureau chief of reuters in thailand, joins us now from bangkok. tell me what the latest is that you're hearing on the ground in bangkok? the head of the rescue mission hasjust finished bangkok? the head of the rescue mission has just finished that press conference, and we are hearing that the operation is over for about ten

hours. they need ten hours to set up for the next operation, so it looks like it will be just those four boys who are coming out of the cave tonight, and they have been transferred to hospital. a reporter at the hospital says that all four boys have been taken to the hospital in chiang rai and they are expected to be monitored there for quite some time. you are based in thailand. i am interested to better understand from you how this has impacted the nation, how it has brought the country together? this is a politically divided country and it has been for more than a decade. pro—and anti—government protests have dotted the last couple of yea rs. have dotted the last couple of years. this has brought different political groups together and united the country. we have seen an outpouring of positive messages,

m essa g es of outpouring of positive messages, messages of support for the boys and social media. this is definitely an event that has united an otherwise divided country. it is a good public relations exercise for the ruling military government which has been in powerfor more military government which has been in power for more than four years. if they manage to get all of these boys out safely and alive, then it will be a massive bonus, a massive plus for this government.” will be a massive bonus, a massive plus for this government. i am interested in learning more about that. what has been the reaction, your understanding, to how the government has reacted to this operation so far? has the rescue tea m operation so far? has the rescue team been happy with the efforts of the government? yes, it seems that they have. this has been primarily an operation, at least on the thai side, led by the military, the army, the thai navy seals starc inaudible it is very much a united armed

forces that we have seen in this operation. the government has played a big role. so far, positive feedback and reaction to the effort so far, and also the international effort, deeply appreciated by the thai government and people. we shall leave it there. just to remind you of our breaking news. at least four of the 12 boys trapped in a cave system in thailand have now been rescued. the divers are breaking for the night before resuming operations again. let's look back at the day's events now with this report from simon jones. ambulances arrive at hospital, one of the first signs that hours into this unprecedented operation, the first boys have been rescued after being trapped for more than two weeks. today was named d—day by the

authorities who declared the boys and their records were ready to move, and with fears of rising waters, officials decided they could wait no longer. this morning 13 professional cave divers entered the cave to carry out the extraction of the kids, including five navy seals. they have been clearly briefed on how the extraction would be carried out. the boys were said to be determined and focused, physically and mentally fit. expert divers have been guiding them out through darkness and submerge passageways towards the mouth of the cave. it has involved a mixture of walking, climbing and diving. the families agreed they should be moved as soon as possible. seven hours into the operation, the emergency vehicles should progress had been made, the first group out quicker than expected. the relief that the first group of boys had been rescued is tempered with the knowledge of challenges ahead. co—ordinating the rescue

mission are two british cave diving experts, john volanthen and richard stanton. martyn farr knows the pair and is an expert himself. he said the operation seemed to be going "very well. this is what he told my colleague. the boys are starting to come out of the cave. that will be a massive morale booster. it obviously is an indicator that things are going very well at this point in time. clearly it is a big ask for everyone involved. we all understand how critical this weather window, well, it is shrinking as we speak, but the right people are doing the right things, and i am optimistic that things will carry on like this. you mentioned the weather. clearly you have some reservations. you have the experience. what are your primary concerns? like everyone else watching the programme, we all know

that if you have a torrential downpour, we have seen images of the current in the cave today. that would be a major problem for everyone if that rainfall intensifies in the very near future. for all of us, in fact, for the world, this has been a crash course in cave diving. we have heard about the treacherous conditions the boys are having to face. for a child to go into the caves, but then for a child to cave dive, what would be your reservations? it is extremely challenging. there is no doubt about that at all. the images we are seeing of the youngsters clearly show them in good morale, in great morale, and yes, i am quite sure

that they are taking to this activity remarkably welljudging by the speed of the evacuation of the first people. john and richard are out there, adding their expertise to the operation. have you heard any news from them? no. i will not say unfortunately. it would obviously be great to speak with them, but we all appreciate, every friend and family member of the british divers out there will understand they are totally concentrating on the job that has to be done, and they cannot afford any distraction from getting thatjob done. they are the best rescue team that possibly could be pulled up in this instance. i am sure they are going to carry on

doing a fantasticjob. we have heard about the training and the practising and the rehearsals that would have taken place. how important is a diving plan in something like this? i am sure everybody out there has been formulating this plan for many days. clearly the plan is working. how many plans would there be? i am sure there have been quite a number. the weather window, this narrow time slot that we have confronting the team, well, this has precipitated the action. as we all know. this emergency, this narrow time slot will have been planned for. everything is going well. when you are down there, obviously communication tactics are important among adults. what sort of things would be

used, and what would be used to communicate with the children? well, fortunately, there have been a number of thai navy seals going to the chamber, and i am quite sure that all along the route there will be thai rescue personnel to help with the communication difficulties should there be communication difficulties. we heard about the possibility of sedation of the boys to calm them down, to avoid the panic which is the greatest danger in a rescue such as this. is sedation really a possibility? what are the risks involved? i am not medically qualified to answer that. i know certainly that some of the personnel

on site are doctors, highly experienced doctors, highly experienced cave divers. if that option is required, i am sure that the equipment, the knowledge, the expertise is there to get this job done. if you are cave diving with an expert, a colleague, that is fair enough. if you're diving with someone who is inexperienced, what sort of advice to you give to them before you enter a system like that, to make sure that the dive continues safely? once they are under the water, they are either going to be, well, it is going to be difficult under the water. you have seen the situation yourself. the visibility will be very low. we all hope that no panic will arise.

judging by what we see of the youngsters, i am very optimistic. they are being particularly brave. yeah, they are a credit to thailand. they are absolutely great young people, and i am confident that they can hold it together. some news coming into us from a news agency that the operation has stopped for the night, they say that they need ten hours to prepare for they need ten hours to prepare for the next mission. i have spotted this tweet from the bbc‘sjonathan headin this tweet from the bbc‘sjonathan head in thailand and he says that four boys are out, as we have been reporting. nine, including the coach, remain in their original location and it could take them another day to get them out. these

are the pictures from the hospital. we heard from nick beake at the hospital earlier. from that same press conference we have been hearing reports from, the operations chief said all four are reports from, the operations chief said allfourare in reports from, the operations chief said all four are in perfect condition but this has not been verified to us by medical officials ora verified to us by medical officials or a correspondent on the ground, but that is what we were told that the press conference. the streets are still very busy, night has fallen, but i am sure that inside the hospital, things are hectic as they ensure that the children are fit and well. chris boardman, from the british caving association, said the changing weather had forced the operation, but for the moment, the conditions were ideal. i know that the timing is effectively perfect. they have been draining the cave for as long as they know the children have been there and they are acutely aware that the monsoon rains are due sometime today. they had to move and they have moved decisively, and i have so much respect for the rescue personnel, for the divers who have come

from so many nations, and the thai navy seals and for the children themselves who have stepped up to the mark. we know that they will not have had to dive the whole distance, not by any means, because of the drainage they were able to do. they will have been able to walk and crawl some of the distance which will have made life easier even though it is very physical. my admiration is for the children and their rescuers. how safe is cave diving for children? cave diving for children in the uk is not allowed. if you were to ask to go diving under the age of 16 in a cave with anyone from the cave diving group, they would say, no, you will have to wait until you are older. you can learn to dive in warm water, ordinary diving, not in the caves and you can take those skills underground when you're older. you work within the british caving association.

how do you make caving safe for children? are you hearing from parents who had planned to send their children away on a summer holiday, enjoying caving systems, now saying, can we hold back? not a word. this summer, i am taking children caving in france. as yet, nobody has asked me about it. i am sure we will speak about it in the coming weeks. this has to do with picking a venue appropriate for the age and experience of the children. that is no criticism of their football coach. he did not think he was going caving, he thought he was going to a show cave, to a holiday—maker destination, something that thousands of thai people would do with their family and friends on a regular basis. it turns out that this cave had a bit ofa bite and i

am sure that in the future, some thought will be given to regulation and planning. the mission to rescue these boys started this morning. at least four boys are said to be in good health according to the latest press co nfe re nce . good health according to the latest press conference. the rest remain trapped in the original location they were found earlier this week. they were trapped by monsoon flooding over two weeks and the operation is said to be a race against time. the hospital pictures where the boys have been taken and are being treated by local doctors.