THAILAND — Details of how the 12 boys of a Thai soccer team were extracted from a flooded cave have been released.
The boys were first given anti-anxiety medication that prevented panic attacks while ensuring they remained conscious and breathing, the New York Times reports. The boys were then equipped with full face masks and secured to flexible plastic stretchers.
In fully flooded areas, rescue teams held onto guide ropes while they moved the stretchers forward, surfacing roughly every 40 minutes to check the boys' vitals.
To navigate downhill slopes, the stretchers were slid over thick hoses that were being used to pump water out of the cave.
Teams carried the stretchers while navigating steeper, downhill areas.
While crossing wet and uneven areas of the cave system, stretchers were supported by overhead ropes to keep the boys stable.
In some flooded areas, the stretchers were placed on rafts that were pushed forward by rescue team members, who found their way with the aid of guide ropes.
