The twelve boys and their football coach who were rescued from a flooded cave in Thailand have spoken out publicly about their ordeal for the first time.
For more on this and other news around the world we turn to our Ro Aram…
Aram… the boys looked healthy and well rested....
Yes Mark… the 13 were released from hospital on Wednesday and made their way home.
They held a press conference in Chiang Rai wearing the kit of their football team, the Wild Boars.
The team's assistant coach described the moment he realized that there was no way out of the cave.
"I tried to go under the water and dig to see if we can go through. But I could feel that the bottom was all sand and the top was just rocks. I pulled the rope and they pulled me back. Afterward, I told one of the boys that we cannot exit this way."
Sitting alongside the Thai Navy SEALs who rescued them, one of the boys relived the moment they were discovered.
"It happened in the evening while we were sitting on the rocks. We heard some noises of people talking at that moment, so we told each other to be quiet and listen to the noise. We weren't sure. So, we listened, and it turns out, yes, it's true. I was surprised."
One of the boys also described how they lived on water from the stones within the cave.
However, despite the hardship they went through, the team showed incredible team spirit during the press conference, lightening the mood by cracking jokes.
They also described how they were able to bond with rescuers who stayed with them for more than week inside the flooded cave.
There was, however, a somber moment when they commemorated the former Navy SEAL who died during the rescue operation.
The boys and their coach went missing on June 23rd and were found just over a week later.
It took three days to get the whole team out.
