Divers advance as search for lost boys gains ground

Rescue divers inched closer to a spot in a flooded cave where 12 boys and their football coach have been missing for more than a week after days of bad weather beset the grueling search.

The children, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old assistant coach have not been heard from since they ventured into the recesses of the Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand on Saturday and were blocked by heavy rains.

But the clouds parted yesterday and with the help of water pumps divers were able to established a forward operating base inside the twisting chambers, raising hopes that the "Boars", as the team is known, could be located soon.

"Today is a bright day for me and our team. We have sunlight today, roads are easily walkable," Narongsak Osottanakorne, governor of Chiang Rai province, told reporters yesterday afternoon.

He said water levels in the cave had decreased and that almost 60 foreign and Thai divers were involved in the rescue effort.

"Today what we have to do is to rush to the kids," Thai Navy Seal commander and Rear Admiral Apakorn Yookongkaew said earlier at the site. "We will not stop until we find them."

Responders are placing extra oxygen tanks, strong ropes and LED lights along the cave's walls in hopes they can provide a path to an airy chamber called Pattaya Beach where officials believe the 13 are taking refuge because of its elevation.