Local points to littleknown opening in roof of cave
A man has alerted a border patrol police commander about an opening on the ceiling of a cave in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district where 12 young footballers and their assistant coach are trapped for the sixth day on Thursday.
Narong Wongtoenjai, 50, of Jongwat village, in Tambon Pongpa, met Pol Colonel Rangsiman Songkrotham and told him about what he described as a big chimney above a cave that is now flooded.
He said that he was a local villager and used to go into the Tham Luang Cave many times. During his trip to the area, he had found the opening that is about two metres wide. Many local people also knew about it.
“I once dropped a stone into the hole and could not hear the stone touch the ground. We also used a fire in an attempt to see the ground, but to no avail, meaning it is very deep,” Narong said.
He gave the commander the exact location of the hole.
It is reported that police accompanied Narong and some villagers to the spot mentioned by Narong.
The search teams are seeking an alternative entrance to the cave in a bid to find the missing groups, as the search operations from the main entrance have been hampered by heavy floods, darkness and thin air.