Happy end to a subterranean nightmare

The search for 12 missing young footballers and their coach came to an exultant end on Monday evening when rescue workers found them safe and sound deep inside Tham Luang Cave in Chiang Rai. The 13 hadn’t seen the outside world or another human being in 10 days, having been trapped in the cave by floodwater.
As news broke of their discovery, there was a sense that the entire populace joined in spontaneous celebration, a sudden loud roar erupting as if Thailand had just won the World Cup. For their families and friends – for all of us, in fact – the first bulletins, followed soon after by a video recorded by the British caving experts who were first on the scene, were ample cause for rejoicing.
The search had been gruelling, beset by heavy rain and muddy, fast-moving floodwaters. With every push forward by the rescue teams, nature pushed back.
Thais across the country had been following the mission’s progress since last Saturday, when word first spread that the young footballers were missing inside the rapidly flooding cave. By then the search was already underway and intensifying by the hour, but progress was agonisingly slow and spirits rose and fell with the underground water level. Regardless, there was never a moment when hope seemed in peril of being abandoned. On the contrary, prayers were said, offerings made, hugs exchanged and a steady stream of encouraging messages were sent to the worried families. As crises often do, this harrowing drama had the effect of unifying all Thais, as people around the planet looked on with sympathy. 
Though much difficulty remains ahead in the group’s extraction from the still-inundated cave, this crisis has calmed considerably with the boys’ discovery and their apparently good condition. We have reached this stage thanks to the dedication, hard work and technical know-how of the rescue squads from home and abroad who had to engineer solutions to daunting problems. Thailand’s deepest thanks go to the foreign experts who joined in the operation and have helped deliver us to this point. They came from the United States, Britain, Belgium, Australia, China and other countries because they cared and they knew their expertise might make a difference. It did.
We are grateful too that national-level politicians largely left the operation to the local authorities and their foreign helpers. While Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha paid a visit to the site, he made no attempt to seize the limelight or make political hay of a situation that was riveting the public’s attention. He let Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osattanakorn keep doing the talking on TV, realising that his was a steadying presence.
News reporters covering the crisis generally behaved themselves as well, though some have been accused of sensationalism. Those at the scene rode a roller coaster more than most, following soldiers and police up and down the mountain above the cave as they hunted for alternative entranceways, and monitoring the divers’ movements and moods.
The scene outside the cave entrance was something to behold, with hundreds of personnel from various agencies doing whatever they could to assist the operation. They ran the pumps draining water from the cave, prepared for any possible medical situation, and kept the families and press up to date. Even amid inclement weather and reports of grim search conditions, they all stood their ground. They too are heroes in this story.