The 13

[reader]

I agree that it was previously reported that the boys were sedated to prevent the possibility that they may be seized by panic during their escape. 

What differentiates this news item is that it appeared in one of the most respected medical journals. It describes why the controversial drug, ketamine, was used "off label."

I understand that it may not be of great interest to all readers, but it underscores the excellent judgement by the doctor who decided that it was appropriate in these circumstances. Ketamine has the potential for adverse side effects, especially in young people. That all of the boys survived the periling rescue is a testament to that decision and the bravery of their rescuers. 

Although the New England Journal of Medicine, like The Lancet, is published primarily for the benefit of medical professionals, the topic of the article did not go unnoticed by the world press when it was published April 4th under the title Prehospital Care of the 13 Hypothermic, Anesthetized Patients in the Thailand Cave Rescue. The following are the authors who submitted their experiences to the publication:

Maj. Chanrit Lawthaweesawat, M.D.
Medical Association of Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand

Richard Harris, B.M., B.S., F.A.N.Z.C.A.
SA Health, Adelaide, SA, Australia

Maj. Gen. Wutichai Isara, M.D.
Royal Thai Army, Bangkok, Thailand

Krit Pongpirul, M.D., Ph.D.
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

Major news services across the globe picked up the story and that's how it came to my attention. It was not my intent to rehash old news but to post updated information about a story that captured the hearts of many members.

https://www.nejm.org/

[PeterRS]

That ketamine was used was already widely known through one of the excellent Australian TV documentaries which focussed on a speech given by Craig Challen who accompanied his fellow Australian, the anaesthetist Dr. Richard Harris. I don't think many are aware how much is owed to Dr. Harris. He spent a great deal of time in the cave with the boys, getting to know them and getting them to trust him. As Challen stated, Harris did a fantastic job. The boys had no hesitation in literally putting their lives in his hands as he administered the ketamine to put them to sleep.

It was also Dr. Harris who decided on the use of ketamine rather than other more obvious tranquillisers. Ketamine is more regularly used in veterinary surgery and had rarely before been administered to young children, especially children in a very weakened state.. Prior to making that decision, Harris contacted anaesthetist colleagues around the world for their advice. Since the effect of the dosage would wear off some time before the boys were out of the cave, Dr. Harris also had to train some of the other divers on how to  assess the condition of each boy and then administer a top-up dosage. Only the Lord knows what would have happened if that top-up dosage had been too little or too much.

When we return to this wonderfully uplifting story of great courage, we should never forget that even as the first boy was being evacuated from the cave, not one member of the large rescue team believed all 13 would emerge alive. The rescue was so complex it was assumed that some of the boys would certainly die. One of the crucial American team said the casualties could be as high as 60% - as many as 8 of the group. This information was relayed to the Prime Minister before the go-ahead was given for the rescue to start.

Magnificent news  (although it took place some weeks ago) that both Harris and Challen were awarded the honour of being the 2019 Australians of the Year.

[fedssocr]

one of the British rescue divers is missing in a Tennessee cave. They're not saying who it is at this point

https://abc7news.com/diver-who-helped-free-thai-soccer-team-now-missing-in-tenn-cave/5256366/

[fedssocr]

Good news. The diver has been saved. Story linked has been updated

[spoon]

Netflix documentary on the rescue is up for those who are interested. 

[kokopelli]

Reader,  are you saying that the Netflix documentary  is available to now view? Or just that it is in production?

[spoon]

It is available to view now.

[PeterRS]

Do you have the link please spoon? I think it must be a different documentary. The Netflix deal for a series in several episodes was only announced at the end of April. By then the production team had not even been put together. It is impossible that their series will be ready for viewing until the end of the year at the earliest. But several other hour-long TV documentaries about the rescue are up on You Tube.

[Jasper]

This documentary is on Netflix.

[spoon]

Yup, not the mini series signed on april. This one as shown above is a 52min documentary titled Thai cave rescue.

[reader]

From the BBC

Thai cave rescuer dies from year-long blood infection

A member of the rescue team that saved 12 boys and their football coach from a flooded cave in Thailand last year has died from an infection he picked up during the operation, officials said.

Petty Officer Beirut Pakbara, a Thai Navy Seal, contracted a blood infection during the rescue at Tham Luang cave.

Beirut was under medical supervision but his condition worsened and he died on Friday, a statement said.

Another rescuer, Saman Gunan, died during the operation.

Saman, a former Thai Navy Seal diver, had been delivering air tanks and was on his way out of the cave complex when he ran out of air and lost consciousness. A statue of him was later erected near the cave's entrance.

Beirut was buried on Friday in his home province of Satun in a ceremony according to Islamic funeral rituals, officials said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50931695

[reader]

I was in Bangkok when this event unfolded. The international response was overwhelming and the seemingly impossible was achieved through that effort. Although only two years ago, it seems like a lifetime given he events that have taken place since. When I walked around Silom the night that the last ones were rescued, the euphoria was palatable. Everyone was Thai that night.

From The Nation

Thai Navy Seal who lost life in Tham Luang rescue remembered

Current Wild Boar team footballers

Two years after the famous cave rescue in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district, people living near the Tham Luang Nang Non Cave National Park got together to give alms to 108 monks as well as make ritualistic offerings at the Nang Non Shrine on Monday (July 6).

The merit-making ceremony was held in memory of Thai Navy Seal Sergeant Saman 'Sam' Kunan, who lost his life on July 6, 2018 as he was trying to rescue 13 members of the Wild Boars football team, who were stranded inside a cave in the Tham Luang cave complex.

Waleeporn Kunan, wife of posthumously honoured Lt-Commander Saman, young members of the Wild Boars team and their coach, were also present at the ceremony.

Two years after the famous cave rescue in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district, people living near the Tham Luang Nang Non Cave National Park got together to give alms to 108 monks as well as make ritualistic offerings at the Nang Non Shrine on Monday (July 6

The merit-making ceremony was held in memory of Thai Navy Seal Sergeant Saman 'Sam' Kunan, who lost his life on July 6, 2018 as he was trying to rescue 13 members of the Wild Boars football team, who were stranded inside a cave in the Tham Luang cave complex.

Waleeporn Kunan, wife of posthumously honoured Lt-Commander Saman, young members of the Wild Boars team and their coach, were also present at the ceremony.

[PeterRS]

More than a shame that they did not also honor the second Navy Seal who lost his life as a result of the rescue.  Petty Officer 1st class Bayroot Pakbara contracted a blood infection during the rescue.  Despite continuing treatment hat infection finally took his life in December last year.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2019/12/29/thai-seal-dies-of-blood-infection-a-year-after-cave-rescue/

[reader]

From The Thaiger

Ron Howard to direct cave rescue feature film ‘Thirteen Lives’ in Australia

The Australian Government is putting up A$13 million to Imagine Entertainment and film giant MGM to shoot a live-action feature film called Thirteen Lives, based on the Chiang Rai Tham Luang cave rescue story. The film will be shot in Queensland, Australia in the hinterland areas behind the Gold Coast.

The film will be directed by Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, The Da Vince Code, Cocoon, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Splash, Frost/Nixon), and start filming in March 2021. The state’s Gold Coast hinterland will double for Thailand with a similar hot, humid climate.

The Australian Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher MP, says the production ishould inject more than A$96 million into the Australian economy, “directly creating around 435 jobs for cast and crew”.

 

[PeterRS]

I have gone off Ron Howard since his extremely poor bio pic of the tenor Luciano Pavarotti. That was nothing but a puff piece with almost all the drama of the mans life, and clearly there was lots, not included. Hes better sticking to feature films.

[Keithambrose]

I agree that was a poor piece. 

[reader]

Until I had an opportunity today to view the National Geographic documentary about the rescue of the Thai Wild Boars football team, I thought I had a pretty comprehensive idea of what happened three years ago. After all, I’ve read whatever I could find on the incident and saw an earlier film about it when it debuted in Bangkok.

I was wrong.

“The Rescue” approaches the event from the viewpoint of the rescuers themselves. With never seen before footage- much of it from the cameras of the UK lead cave divers, the chaos, the disillusionment and near failure are described in chilling detail. But so are the final three days that saw all 13 saved.

They were unlikely heroes. Mostly middle-aged, grey and balding, who shared the eccentric hobby of cave diving. It’s a small circle and those who have been at it for any length of time eventually get to know the others regardless of where they come from.  Without those connections, the mission would not have succeeded.

The first handful to arrive about three days into the event. After persuading the Thai Seals that they really could take care of themselves, they were allowed to venture inside. As they made their way toward a chamber known as Pattaya beach where authorities believed the team may have found refuge, they came upon a chamber where they discovered four stranded Thai pump workers who had become marooned there when rapidly rising water levels blocked their escape. In an account I don’t recall hearing before, the divers used a spare mouthpiece that allowed them to share their air. They managed to get all four safely out despite panic attacks when they had to briefly had to submerge them through very tight quarters.

That panic experience with the four men would eventually become the key factor that ended up making the removal of the 13 possible.

What is well known by all is that moment when the UK divers advanced further into the cave than anyone had done so far. They reached Pattaya beach but found it empty. They ventured on and at one point surfaced and removed their masks to sniff the air. Experienced divers know that odors in confined spaces can be a telltale clue as what to expect. What they smelled told them that they were close to their goal.

Shortly after they emerged at the next chamber and were greeted by a sight that they had come to doubt was possible. When they spoke in English, a youth from Myanmar responded in kind.

When they got word back to the command center, all the world knew about it within the hour. But the battle to get them out was just beginning. At first, the Thai Navy seals took the lead and managed to get medics to the chamber where the team was trapped.  But because they lacked the rare skills and specialized equipment to operative effectively in that environment for extended periods, the rag tag volunteers increasingly became the go-to guys in tight situations.

At one point, a monk from Myanmar, much revered in the local community, was brought to the scene to pray for the boys and their rescuers. He blessed bracelets that Thais wear on their wrists for many reasons and asked that they be brought to the boys. When the divers distributed them to the boys, they immediately put them on and were visibly comforted.

Since they shared the same tongue, they collaborated easily with the US military personnel who helped them strategize and, along with the Thai seals, set up staging areas for supplies and air bottles in chambers between the boys and the entrance.

The operation nearly came undone by disagreement about how to get the boys out. The Thais were initially favoring the idea of waiting until the monsoon season ended, while keeping the boys supplied with food and medicine. But the reality was that the cave would flood completely and all would drown before then.

In the meantime, one of the UK divers, who had been keeping in touch with another diver in Australia. A surgeon by profession, the Aussie was asked if it would be possible to sedate the boys because of he was sure that they would panic during the long ordeal of underwater removal. At first the doctor came up with a dozen ways the sedation could backfire (i.e., aspirating into their masks). But his friend told him that he could visualize no other way they boys could be removed. The surgeon agreed to come to see for himself and arrived within a few days.

After visiting the chamber and examining the boys, he reluctantly agreed it was the best alternative. Then it became the task to convince Thai authorities. It was highly risky he told them. Such a thing had never before been attempted, but the plan was their last best hope. The go ahead was given and the rest is history.

If you get an opportunity to see “The Rescue,” you won’t be disappointed. It’s as inspirational a film as I’ve ever seen.

 

[reader]

From Coconuts Bangkok

Wild Boars make alms four years after cave rescue

The Wild Boars soccer team made an appearance at Tham Luang in northernmost Thailand Thursday morning to pay their respects to their rescuers on the fourth anniversary of their world-renowned ordeal.

Seven of the 13 boys of the Wild Boar soccer team, whose rescue after 17 days trapped in the cave drew global interest, made alms to 39 monks at the Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non National Park in anticipation of its Oct. 1 reopening.

Those in attendance also paid their respects to Saman Kunan, the Navy Seal who came out of retirement to aid in the rescue and drowned while helping to prepare the operation.

The park is currently closed as national park officials make the cave safer for visiting, including  a 2-kilometer road link to the park’s emerald pool.

Four years ago today, the 12 young footballers and their coach disappeared inside Tham Luang after practice. Before long, their bicycles and belongings were found left at the entrance, kicking off a massive effort that drew the help of amateur cave diving experts from around the world.

Heavy rainfall had caused the cave to flood, trapping the team in darkness deep inside the cave complex.

It took 17 days for rescue teams to get the team out safely in a perilous rescue mission that gripped the world. A film based on the incident was released in 2019.

[a-447]

This is a very timely post because I was talking to Dr Craig Challen last week. He was one of the 2 Australian cave divers involved in the rescue.

Most of what he said I had heard before, but it was great to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak, and to ask him some questions about the rescue. 

He's a real hero, although that accolade does not sit well with him. He's a lovely, humble guy.

[kokopelli 2]

Just a few days ago I did view the video, The Rescue, which Reader posted about in Oct 2021. It was an excellent presentation of events that transpired during the rescue operation.  It seems that the diving team  had almost zero hope that any of the boys would survive their ordeal, but they did!

[reader]

From Collider.com

Ron Howard on 'Thirteen Lives' and Recreating the Harrowing Thailand Rescue

'Thirteen Lives' is a biographical thriller about the harrowing rescue mission in Thailand to save the lives of the boys trapped in underground caves.
 

 

From director Ron Howard, the biographical dramatic thriller Thirteen Lives, due out in theaters and streaming at Prime Video later this year, tells the real-life story of the rescue mission in Thailand to get a group of young boys and their soccer coach out of the underground caves they were trapped in. The 2018 event that went on for 18 days demonstrated a remarkable strength of spirit and showed that you can sometimes accomplish the seemingly impossible, against all odds.

During a global press conference to discuss the upcoming release, Howard talked about why he wanted to tell this story, what was most important to him in achieving the necessary authenticity, exploring all the themes, the deep emotion in this real-life event, what he learned from his research, recreating the caves and the dive sequences, and what he hopes audiences take away from seeing the film.

Read the interview here:

https://collider.com/ron-howard-thirteen-lives-interview-thailand-cave-rescue/

[fedssocr]

I still don't really see the point after we've already got a couple of definitive documentaries.

[reader]

From The Thaiger

2 Brits honoured

The University of Bristol has awarded 2 British cave divers with honourary degrees after recognising their heroic efforts in rescuing 12 boys and a man from a flooded cave in Thailand.

Linda Wilson, Vice-President of the University of Bristol’s Spelaeological Society, nominated John Volanthen, from Bristol, and Rick Stanton, from Coventry, for their honorary degrees.

“Fortunately, by a combination of extraordinary courage and meticulous planning, they overcame all the odds and succeeded in one of the most extraordinary rescues that has ever been attempted, ultimately bringing out all 12 boys and their coach alive despite the most hazardous conditions imaginable.

“No one could better exemplify the values this University prizes – resilience, courage and outstanding skills – than Rick and John, who were to save the lives of so many others, while risking their own lives, daily, for the 15 days of this enormous rescue effort that held the world’s attention.”

 

[PeterRS]

On 7/1/2022 at 6:04 AM, fedssocr said:

I still don't really see the point after we've already got a couple of definitive documentaries.

Ron Howard seems to love real life stories now. Problem is: he's not very good at it! His bio movie about the great tenor Luciano Pavarotti was a sham puff piece that revealed only what the financiers wanted seen. Not surprising given that these included his recording and video companies and his second wife. Pavarotti was a great singer with a great personality, but he was a pain in the neck for many. As early as 1989 the Chicago Lyric Opera banned him from future appearances because he had cancelled 26 of 41 scheduled performances, most at the last minute. I had friends who paid almost $2,000 to see his Farewell performance at New York's Metropolitan Opera.

There's an excellent and amusing book titled "The King and I" written by the manager who made him a world star and whom he fired after 36 years. Almost every chapter starts with a phrase similar to "Luciano Pavarotti was the greatest singer the world has seen - but . . ."

[reader]

From The Thaiger / Belfast Telegraph

British hero hails US film director’s depiction of Thai cave rescue

Cave hero Richard Stanton believes movie director Ron Howard was the perfect choice to capture the raw emotion of the dramatic rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded grotto in Thailand.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker has retold the climactic tale from four years ago of the cave rescue in a new movie, “Thirteen Lives,” which premiered last night in the UK. Howard also directed the Oscar-winning Apollo 13 starring Tom Hanks.

“As far as I was concerned, Apollo 13 was a fantastic film, very relevant, real-life dramatic rescue, just like Thailand, so it was the perfect choice of director from our point of view.”

Ron Howard and Richard Stanton 

The 61 year old cave diver, who was awarded an MBE for his heroic act, recalled how he did not have time for emotion as he and his friend John Volanthen set about rescuing the boys, aged between 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old coach, from the Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand’s Chiang Rai in June 2018 after monsoon rains flooded the tunnels and trapped them underground.

“When we arrived in Thailand, it was completely chaotic. It was clear that we had previous experience that could probably make a difference.

“It was like something none of us had ever experienced before, we really did write the operational manuals as we went along. We didn’t have time to be thinking about anything but the nuts and bolts of the rescue, not necessarily emotions.”

The film stars Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell as British divers Stanton and Volanthen, with Joel Edgerton taking on the role of Harry Harris.

Thai actors and amateurs were cast in supporting roles while most of the young boys playing the members of the “Wild Boar” football team had no acting experience.

Stanton admitted he is happy with how the movie portrayed the rescue.

“I think it’s good for people to know what happened. It’s not a documentary, but it’s pretty much true to life.”

The movie is to be released in the US and British cinemas on July 29 before it is launched globally on Amazon Prime Video on August 5.