Rescue Crews Find All 12 Boys and Soccer Coach Alive in Thai Cave

 

This is What’s Trending Today…

Thai officials say rescue workers have found all 12 boys and their soccer coach alive deep inside a partly flooded cave.

The group went missing¹ on June 23 after they completed soccer practice. The team then apparently² went off to explore the Tham Luang cave, near Thailand’s border with Myanmar.

Other than personal belongings³ left at the opening to the cave passage and hand prints on the walls, there had been no sign of the group.

For the past nine days, rescue teams have battled through thick dirt and high water to try to find the boys and their coach. The cave follows a series of underground passages for 10 kilometers into a mountain.

The governor⁴ of Chiang Rai province, Narongsak Osatanakorn, confirmed late Monday that the team was in the process of being rescued. But he added that they were not out of danger yet.

“We found them safe. But the operation isn’t over,” he said in comments broadcast across Thailand.

Rescue divers⁵ had spent much of Monday making preparations for a final push to find the boys, aged⁶ 11 to 16, and the 25-year-old coach.

Family members of the missing hugged each other as they cheered the latest news. Many of them had been putting fruit and sweet treats near the cave each day as an offering to spirits they believe protect the cave.

Aisha Wiboonrungrueng, the mother of one of the boys, smiled and hugged family members. She said she would cook her son a Thai fried⁷ egg dish, his favorite food, when he returns home.

More than 1,000 people have worked on the rescue operation, including Thai navy⁸ SEAL divers and others from across Thailand. Australia, the United States, China, Myanmar and Laos and other countries also have sent specialists to the cave.

Anmar Mirza, a leading American cave rescue expert, told the Associated Press that many risks remain for the rescuers and the group. He said rescuers must still decide whether to try to get the team out of the cave or to instead provide them with survival⁹ supplies until water levels go down.

He described taking non-divers through a cave as “one of the most dangerous situations possible, even if the dives are relatively¹⁰ easy.”

Thai Prime¹¹ Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha thanked the international teams and rescuers who helped find the group.

“The Royal Thai Government and the Thai people are grateful for this support and cooperation, and we all wish the team a safe and speedy recovery,” Prayuth’s office said in a statement.

Early Tuesday, the Thai navy released¹² a video that showed the boys sitting on a dry area inside the cave. They are seen wearing the same clothing they had on the morning they disappeared.

One of the rescuers says to them, in English, ‘You are very strong.” One of the boys asked what day it was. A rescuer answered, “Monday. You have been here -- 10 days.”

And that’s What’s Trending Today.

I’m Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

coach - n. a person who teaches and trains an athlete or performer

cave - n. ?a large hole that was formed by natural processes in the side of a cliff¹³ or hill or under the ground?

challenging - adj. ?difficult in a way that is usually interesting or enjoyable?

diver - n. ? a person who swims underwater usually while using special equipment to breathe?

hug - v. ?to put your arms around someone or something as a way of showing love or friendship

passageway - n. ?a long, narrow space that connects one place to another

1 missing   

adj.遗失的，缺少的，失踪的

参考例句：

• Check the tools and see if anything is missing.检点一下工具，看有无丢失。
• All the others are here;he's the only one missing.别人都来了，就短他一个。

2 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

3 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

4 governor   

n.统治者，地方长官(如省长，州长，总督等)

参考例句：

• The governor was an expert at fencing with reporters.这位州长是搪塞新闻记者的能手。
• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。

5 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。

6 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

7 fried   

adj.油煎的；油炒的

参考例句：

• I ate everything fried.所有油炸的我都吃。
• I prefer fried peanuts.我选择炸花生。

8 navy   

n.海军，海军人员，海军军力，藏青色

参考例句：

• My brother is in the navy.我兄弟在海军服役。
• He has transferred from the army to the navy.他从陆军转到海军。

9 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

10 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

11 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

12 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

13 cliff   

n.悬崖，峭壁

参考例句：

• The cliff edge is dangerous and should be railed.崖边危险，应该用栏杆围起来。
• He took the measure of the cliff before he climbed it.他把悬崖的高度估量一下后再攀登。