On June 23, 12 young
footballers aged between 11 and 16 and their 25 year-old coach ventured into
the Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand
after completing a session of football practice and became trapped when heavy
rains flooded the cave. The boys and their
coach who are all members of a local association football team were reported
missing a few hours later and search operations began immediately.
However, attempts to find them were hindered by rising water levels within the cave system and no contact was made with them for about 11 days. The rescue effort expanded into a massive operation amid concerted global public interest.After great efforts that involved delicate maneuvering through narrow cave passages and mucky waters, British divers discovered the missing footballers and their coach to be alive.They were found to be on an elevated rock about3.2 kilometers (2.0 mi) from the cave
mouth. As much as finding
them was exciting news, rescuing them alive was always going to be a tough
task.
However, attempts to find them were hindered by rising water levels within the cave system and no contact was made with them for about 11 days. The rescue effort expanded into a massive operation amid concerted global public interest.After great efforts that involved delicate maneuvering through narrow cave passages and mucky waters, British divers discovered the missing footballers and their coach to be alive.They were found to be on an elevated rock about
The options available
were limited. One of which was to teach the boys and their coach basic dive
techniques to enable their early rescue or wait for the floodwaters to subside
at the end of the monsoon season. After days of pumping
water from the cave system and a respite from rain, four of the boys were
rescued on 8 July.
Rescue teams hastened
to get everyone out before the monsoon was predicted to resume on 11 July,
bringing a potential 52 mm
(2.0 in) of rainfall. By 10 July 2018, all
of the boys and their coach had been rescued from the cave.
Over 1,000 people were
involved in the rescue operation, including Thai Navy SEALs, volunteers and
technical assistance teams from multiple countries. Such was the diversity
of the rescue effort that many have termed it a United Nations coalition. The delicate nature of
the operation made a rescue chief at one point dubbed it Operation Mission
Impossible.
Conditions were so
dangerous that a retired Thai Navy SEAL, 38 year old Saman Kunan died on July 5
while trying to lay out oxygen tanks underwater in a tunnel. No wonder wild
jubilation erupted across the world upon news of a successful rescue operation. Cable new images of
volunteers handing out free apples to journalists in celebration of the boys
safe return brought great joy to the hearts of keen followers of the event
across the world.
President Donald Trump
of the United States
describes the operation as a “beautiful moment” in human history while German
Chancellor, Angela Merkel described it as a wonderful message to a hurting
world. British Prime
Minister, Theresa May, equally expressed her delight at the amazing success of the rescue effort. On their part, the
SEALs, who were central to the rescue effort revealed on their Facebook page
that:”We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science, or what.
But what is sure is
that all the boys and their coach are now out of the cave.” Also, while
congratulating the boys, their coach as well as the rescue team for the success
of the operation, Federation of International Football Association, FIFA, the
body that governs the running of football all over the world, offers to convey
the boys and their coach to Moscow
to watch the final game of the Russia 2018 World Cup. Presently, the 12 boys
and their coach, who are said to be in stable medical condition, are
quarantined in a local medical facility where they are being properly observed
by medics.
Now that the rescue
operation is over, it is pertinent to draw a few lessons from this highly
intriguing episode. The first and,
perhaps, most vital deduction is what can be achieved in the world when mankind
is united, irrespective of language, tribal, cultural and other such
differences. Though the recue team
that embarked on the dangerous and deadly mission was multinational in
composition, it had only one mission: to save the boys and their coach alive.
To achieve this, their
language and cultural barriers never really mattered. What really mattered was
their primary mission of rescuing the boys. Indeed, there was such
a global agreement on the urgency of the rescue mission that American
entrepreneur, Elon Musk, had to fly to Thailand with a mini submarine and
an offer to help in any way he could. The lesson herein is
that there is no global crisis that cannot be surmounted when the mankind is
united to confront it.
One other equally
fascinating lesson that could be taken in from the incidence is the amazing
courage and bravery of the boys and their coach to stay alive in the face of
such life threatening condition. Also tied to this is
the courage of the rescue team to dare the odds, even at the risk of their own
lives. What a wonderful
message of gallantry and perseverance! Incredibly strong is, probably, the best
way to describe the boys hazardous staying power and eventual escape passage.
In an increasingly
tough world where socio-economic conditions are becoming quite harsh, the boys
have taught us a vital lesson in perseverance and relentless survival instinct. In-spite of the
obvious dilemma they were in, the boys never gave in to neither gloom nor
self-pity. It was, indeed,
amazing to see them in a flickering video smiling and giving the victory sign
when they were found 10 days after they were declared missing.
The high sense of
responsibility demonstrated by their 25 year old coach, who was trapped in the
cave for 18 days with the boys, is equally admirable. In a letter he sent to
parents of the kids after they were found to be alive, the coach promised to
protect and look after them even at the risk of his own life. Not only this, he
apologized to the parents for whatever trauma they might have gone through in
view of the incidence.
This is a huge lesson
for political leaders, especially in Africa . Back home in Nigeria , one
very considerable message that we need to really take home from the whole
problem is the need to attach huge value to human lives. Watching the highly
delicate and complicated strategy put up by the Thailand government to rescue the
kids and their coach couldn’t but made one think what could have happened if
the event had taken place in motherland.
So much blood is being
spilled in the land that it seems no longer a big deal to us as a people. Sadly, we seem to be
getting used to a stereotyped form of response to bloodletting. First, different
people pay visits to sights of gruesome murderous acts, commensurate with those
involved, promise heavens and earth until there is another incidence when the
whole circle is repeated all over again.
The Thailand cave
episode is a veritable template for us on the need to review our attitude to
the sanctity of human life. The truth is that without the people, there can be
no nation.
*Ogunbiyi wrote from
the Lagos State
Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.
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