How can the Thai team survive in the cave?

When having to spend many days living in a dark cave and possibly lack of food and water, the members of the Thai team will have to cope with many difficulties to resist before being rescued.

Thirteen people, including Thai youth team members and coaches, were trapped in Tham Luang cave, nearly 10 km long in Chiang Rai province from June 23. Although the rescue teams have entered immediately after receiving the news of the incident, heavy rain has led to flooding in the cave for many days, making the search difficult.

Graphic shows the direction of the rescue force to search for missing Thai teams.(Photo: Bangkok Post).

10 days have passed since the Thai team went missing, rescuers are still actively deploying plans in the hope of being able to timely rescue the trapped people. According to Anmar Mirza, coordinator of the US National Cave Rescue Committee, the first thing people who are stuck in a cave needs to do is keep themselves from any immediate danger. The landslide may be dangerous, but according to Mirza the biggest concern is flooding in the cave.

'You need to find the highest point in the cave,' said Mirza. His advice is that people who are stuck need to try to judge how much the water level has increased compared to the previous flood.

'There are many ways to determine the flooded point of looking at mud, leaves or streaks of water on a cave wall , ' Mirza said.

Next, Mr. Mirza said that people who are stuck need to check what supplies they have with them, thereby calculating how to use food, water or even lights accordingly. .

To keep someone's body warm

Rescue forces must use lights to move in the dark cave flooded.(Photo: Bangkok Post).

According to Mr. Mirza, the first serious risk for the team stuck in the cave is the hypothermia.

'Need to squeeze clothes to keep them dry. In addition, everyone should sit close together to keep warm , "said Mirza.

Meanwhile, Andy Eavis, who once led the British Cave Association, said that hypothermia is probably not a big problem in Thailand's cave system.

'The surrounding temperature is quite high,' said Mr. Eavis, estimated at 23-26 degrees Celsius.

Ever since explored many caves during the past 50 years, including caves in Thailand, Myanmar and China, Mr. Eavis said many caves are very large, even big enough for tourists. can explore by plane. Therefore, Mr. Eavis did not think that water could reach the ceiling.

'If they keep their bodies from touching the water, they will not die from hypothermia , ' Eavis said.

Eavis said he had been stuck in a cave in the Pyrenees with two other people and the temperature there was only about 2 degrees Celsius. 'We stayed there for 55 hours. Luckily we were wearing diving suits , 'Mr. Eavis recounted.

Water

According to Mirza, the next concern for people stuck in the cave is drinking water.'You need to keep your body from becoming dehydrated, but be wary of dirty water in the cave. It's an equilibrium mechanism, getting diarrhea or vomiting will make the problem of dehydration more serious , 'Mirza said.

However, according to expert Eavis, even if the water is dirty, it does not cause immediate danger.'Most of the water in the cave is drinkable. However, it can cause abdominal pain , "Eavis said.

Bill Whitehouse, former Chairman of the British Cave Rescue Council, advised those stranded to look for water around the cave.'Small drops of water in the cave may be clean water. But in the long run, food is a problem , "Mr. Whitehouse said.

Mr. Mirza concurred with this view.'If you have food, make sure you don't finish it all at once,' says Mirza.

Air

The rescue team released "survival boxes" of food, phones, drinking water, lights, . into the cave hoping to reach the trapped team.(Photo: The Nation).

Oxygen is also a problem for people who are stuck. However, all three experts Mirza, Whitehouse and Eavis think that this is not so great a concern as people think.

'Most caves have natural oxygen. Air can go in and out in places where people can't, ' Mirza said.

If many people are trapped in a small space in the cave for too long, CO ₂ may increase. However, in most cases, rescue experts believe that the lack of air is not too big a problem.

'In general, it is not uncommon for caves to have a low level of oxygen. But it is not low to serious. This depends on how the cave is, ' Mr. Whitehouse added.

Mental stress

People who are stuck can have all the things that help them survive, but staying calm in the dark is not easy.

'Underground or a place where you feel happy, or not,' said Whitehouse.

'Do not panic. Panic and find ways to escape may be the biggest concern , 'Mr. Eavis said.

For members of the Thai teen football team, the pressure will be placed on the manager's shoulders, to prevent the boys from diving into the water.'The leader must control to prevent the boys from doing anything foolish, such as diving into the water. Human psychology is often weighed down in the dark, ' Mr. Eavis added.

According to expert Mirza, 'experienced cave explorers will bring modern LED lights and lithium batteries to maintain the light for hundreds of hours'. However, in the case of the Thai team, this may be a difficult problem for them.

'This is not the case for professional adventurers. So they may not be fully equipped , 'Whitehouse expert surmises.