BAUER KOMPRESSOREN SUPPORTED Cave RESCUE IN THAILAND
In early July of this year in the northern Thailand city of Chiang Rai, twelve members of a youth football team and their coach were exploring the local caves when they found their retreat cut off after flooding in the caves from a sudden heavy rainfall. The world tensely followed the desperate attempts of teams of divers from the Thai Navy Seals and assistance from international specialist teams to rescue the group.
At times, up to 1,000 emergency rescue helpers were involved in the search. Tan Xiao Long was one of the brave divers who risked their lives in the rescue operation. As a renowned specialist in cave diving and rescue diving operations, Tan received a call from the Thai government asking him to take part in the rescue. He set off without any hesitation, knowing that if the official information he had received was accurate, the chances of a successful rescue were no more than 70 or 80 percent and thus he had to act fast.
On his arrival he was joined by other cave divers from all over the world, including divers from the Australian police force and a US air pararescue team, for a full briefing. The US team had their own BAUER compressor along as backup. On site were also several BAUER large-scale mobile breathing air compressors - MARINER systems – to provide the needed and reliable supply of breathing air during the rescue operation. As a BAUER sales partner, Tan knows very well that it is critical to have a continuous supply of breathing air.
The rescue proved to be more difficult than anticipated. The slippery rocks, impenetrable darkness and narrow passageways all created problems in transporting the necessary equipment into the cave and the rescued children out to the cave mouth, and turned the operation into a dangerous game of chance.
Thankfully all the missing team members were rescued from the cave unhurt after a highly complex, time-consuming and extremely risky rescue operation. Asked what the main reasons for the success of the operation were, Tan thought for a moment and then said, “First, professional expertise; second, smooth teamwork; third, good equipment, and finally, a whole lot of luck.”
