June 23 marks the 6th anniversary of the Tham Luang cave rescue operation.
The ceremony took place at Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non National Park in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai. Local officials attended alongside the former Wild Boars team members and their coach Ekapol Chanthawong.
In the morning, a merit-making ceremony was conducted with offerings to 90 monks, followed by rituals honoring the spirit of the Nang Non deity. Attendees paid tribute to the late Chiang Governor Narongsak, Osottanakorn who led the rescue, former navy diver LCdr. Saman Gunan, who died during the rescue mission, Navy SEAL Petty Officer Berut Pakbara, and Duangphet Promthep, one of the rescued Wild Boars football team members who recently passed away in England.
A discussion panel titled “The Puzzle of Success in the Tham Luang Rescue Mission” featured experts recounting the mission’s challenges and achievements.
The Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non National Park will be closed for three months from July 1 to September 30, 2024. The park will reopen on October 1, 2024, with the entrance and first chambers accessible, and the second and third chambers expected to open by December 2024.
Six years ago, from June 23 to July 10, 2018, the world watched as a massive international rescue effort saved 12 young footballers and their assistant coach trapped in the flooded Tham Luang cave.
Heavy rains had caused the cave to flood, blocking their exit. The rescue operation involved over 10,000 people, including cave divers, experts in rescue operations diving, drilling, geographers, climbers, police, military personnel, and volunteers from around the world, using helicopters, police ambulances, and extracting over a billion liters of water from the cave.
On July 2, 2018, all 13 were found alive on an elevated rock about 4 kilometers from the cave entrance. Due to high water levels, they could not be immediately evacuated. Tragically, during the preparation phase, former navy diver Saman Gunan lost consciousness underwater and died on July 6. The actual extraction took place from July 8 to 10, 2018, successfully rescuing all 13 individuals over 17 days, 4 hours, and 29 minutes. (TNA)
