It’s been 12 days since a young soccer team and their coach were trapped deep in a Thai cavern during a group outing.
The Wild Boar soccer team was found nine days later, to the wonder and relief of the whole world.
IN PHOTOS: Rescue teams slog through mud, pouring rain to reach boys trapped in Thai cave
The team ranges in ages from 11-16 with their 25-year-old coach Ekapol “Aek” Chanthawong. They were known for their post-soccer outings. One parent told the Associated Press Aek took the boys swimming in nearby waterfalls or cycling in the region.
Here’s what we know about the incident.
Where are they?
On June 23, the team walked into the caves Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province, about 825 kilometres north of Bangkok.
The caves have narrow passageways and large chambers that stretch for up to 10 kilometres under a mountain.
The group was exploring the caves when a flash flood trapped them, one rescuer told Sky News.
They are currently about four kilometres from the entrance, on a muddy, elevated rock, surrounded by water.
They are about one kilometre deep under the mountain.
Coverage of the Thai boys trapped in a cave on Globalnews.ca:
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Crash courses now underway as Thai Navy divers try to teach trapped boys how to dive -
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Teams face extraordinary obstacles in Thailand cave rescue -
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Cave rescue expert explains why Thai operation to save soccer team could still take months -
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Emergency workers celebrate Thai cave rescue -
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Rescuers plan to send food to boys in Thailand cave while attempting to figure out how to free them -
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Boys soccer team found alive in cave in Thailand
Who found them?
On July 2, a team of divers including Thai navy SEALS and two British divers found them.
They were weak from lack of food, but video from the cave shows they were healthy, though in one video a SEAL is seen treating minor cuts with ointment.
The Thai navy has been sending them high-protein food and the boys seem like they are in good spirits.
Since then a doctor and nurse have joined the group.
Other supplies like blankets have also been provided.
WATCH: New video shows doctors treating boys stuck inside cave in Thailand
How will they be rescued?
The boys are currently getting crash courses in diving and swimming, but it’s unclear if they will be extracted from the cave that way.
Chiang Rai provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said Wednesday that while the team has been practicing with masks, he doesn’t believe they have attempted any practice dives.
READ MORE: Can a group of boys learn enough about diving to escape a Thai cave? Yes, says one dive master
He said it’s unlikely the boys will be able to escape immediately because any extraction has to be “100 per cent safe.”
Mermaid Subsea Services in Bangkok told the Guardian it is helping to supply the government with masks.
It reportedly took three hours for the divers to go from the entrance to the location of the Thai boys.
Some spots require a 30 metre deep scuba dive, others spots are so narrow the scuba tanks had to be taken off, which means it would be a difficult dive for the inexperienced teenagers.
WATCH: Rescue of Thai boys trapped in Thailand cave enters day 12
Another option is just to wait until the rain recedes, either naturally or by pumping water out of the cave system.
Officials have dismissed this option, though they have stockpiled food and supplies for an extended stay of up to four months. (The rainy season in Thailand typically lasts until October.)
But that could be dangerous as more monsoon rains could continue for extended periods of time.
The government is also scouring the mountainside to find another way into the caves, but as the boys are trapped more than one kilometre under the mountain, that is a dangerous option.
Weather is a factor
Thailand’s rainy season typically lasts from July until October. During this time, even elite Thai navy SEAL divers were finding it difficult to move through the muddy waters, currents and tight passageways.
More monsoon rains are on the way.
After a break in the weather in recent days, the Thai Meteorological Department forecast for Chiang Rai calls for light rain through Friday followed by heavy rain starting Saturday and continuing through July 10.
Such storms could raise water levels in the cave again and complicate the supply missions or any potential extrication, if one was needed.
About 120 million liters of water had been pumped out by late on Tuesday, or about 1.6 million every hour.
WATCH: What’s next for rescuers trying to save children trapped in a cave in Thailand?
–with files from Reuters and the Associated Press
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