1 00:00:07,283 --> 00:00:08,387 BOY: Hey you! 2 00:00:08,422 --> 00:00:11,011 DIVER: How many of you? 3 00:00:11,045 --> 00:00:13,013 NARRATOR: For almost three weeks, 4 00:00:13,047 --> 00:00:16,361 13 young lives hang in the balance. 5 00:00:17,189 --> 00:00:20,537 JASON: We didn't want them to die and we didn't want to die ourselves. 6 00:00:22,229 --> 00:00:25,404 NARRATOR: Then, against all the odds. 7 00:00:26,854 --> 00:00:30,202 REPORTER [over TV]: Mission impossible has become mission incredible! 8 00:00:32,929 --> 00:00:37,071 NARRATOR: One of the greatest rescues of all time. 9 00:00:38,210 --> 00:00:40,385 PASAKORN: It was like a miracle 10 00:00:43,077 --> 00:00:45,079 NARRATOR: But questions remain. 11 00:00:45,114 --> 00:00:47,495 How did the boys get trapped? 12 00:00:47,530 --> 00:00:50,740 Why was it so hard to rescue them? 13 00:00:52,121 --> 00:00:54,054 MARTYN: The prospect of a diving rescue was 14 00:00:54,088 --> 00:00:56,194 hideous from the outset. 15 00:00:56,228 --> 00:00:58,644 NARRATOR: And how was it done? 16 00:00:58,679 --> 00:01:01,164 CHRIS: Nothing like this has ever happened before. 17 00:01:01,199 --> 00:01:03,546 JASON: Everything was experimental. 18 00:01:04,616 --> 00:01:07,481 NARRATOR: Now, with unprecedented access, 19 00:01:07,515 --> 00:01:11,761 a team of cavers conducts the first ever 3D scan of 20 00:01:11,795 --> 00:01:16,110 Tham Luang, to uncover the answers. 21 00:01:18,733 --> 00:01:22,737 Reconstructing the cave in perfect detail. 22 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:26,189 ROO: We're going to be able to actually show what that 23 00:01:26,224 --> 00:01:28,295 passage was really like. 24 00:01:28,916 --> 00:01:31,919 NARRATOR: Transforming our understanding of the 25 00:01:31,953 --> 00:01:34,473 Thai Cave Rescue. 26 00:01:36,372 --> 00:01:38,374 VERN: If two of them came out alive that would've 27 00:01:38,408 --> 00:01:40,548 been a good result. 28 00:01:42,343 --> 00:01:48,211 [theme music plays]. 29 00:01:52,905 --> 00:01:57,945 NARRATOR: 13 young survivors and a moment few thought possible. 30 00:01:59,912 --> 00:02:01,259 BOY: Thank you so much. 31 00:02:01,293 --> 00:02:03,537 [speaking in native language]. 32 00:02:03,571 --> 00:02:05,504 BOY: Thank you. 33 00:02:08,197 --> 00:02:11,855 NARRATOR: Leaving the hospital, after an astonishing escape 34 00:02:11,890 --> 00:02:14,686 and a terrifying ordeal. 35 00:02:27,077 --> 00:02:32,117 25 days earlier, a school soccer team, the Wild Boars, 36 00:02:32,152 --> 00:02:35,914 enjoyed a day trip to Tham Luang cave. 37 00:02:37,743 --> 00:02:42,162 This is the last picture taken before they entered, 38 00:02:43,508 --> 00:02:46,787 as night fell they were still inside. 39 00:02:54,726 --> 00:02:56,590 REPORTER [over TV]: A dozen member of a youth football 40 00:02:56,624 --> 00:02:59,144 team and their coach are missing. 41 00:02:59,179 --> 00:03:01,629 REPORTER [over TV]: Thought to be trapped in an underground cave. 42 00:03:01,664 --> 00:03:03,907 NARONGSAK: Every minute is important. 43 00:03:06,669 --> 00:03:09,396 NARRATOR: It would take 18 days, 44 00:03:12,122 --> 00:03:14,746 17 cave divers, 45 00:03:15,436 --> 00:03:21,235 200 air cylinders, a mile of rope, 46 00:03:21,270 --> 00:03:25,135 10,000 volunteers from over 20 countries, 47 00:03:25,826 --> 00:03:28,415 and one death, 48 00:03:28,898 --> 00:03:32,764 before they could bring the Wild Boars out of the cave. 49 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:37,113 PASAKORN: The whole world had their eyes upon us 50 00:03:37,147 --> 00:03:39,288 to see what we would do. 51 00:03:40,012 --> 00:03:41,704 REPORTER [over TV]: We begin tonight in Thailand with the 52 00:03:41,738 --> 00:03:44,845 life and death drama that's captivating the world. 53 00:03:45,466 --> 00:03:47,537 NARRATOR: The drama played out deep beneath the 54 00:03:47,572 --> 00:03:50,954 Doi Nang Non Mountains of Northern Thailand. 55 00:04:02,863 --> 00:04:06,315 Ten months later, a British team of cave explorers sets 56 00:04:06,349 --> 00:04:10,250 out to conduct the first ever digital 3D survey 57 00:04:10,284 --> 00:04:13,356 inside Tham Luang cave. 58 00:04:18,844 --> 00:04:21,640 They will journey deep inside. 59 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:26,921 Hoping to discover the truth behind the 60 00:04:26,956 --> 00:04:30,304 extraordinary events of 2018. 61 00:04:33,514 --> 00:04:37,760 Leading the expedition is cave explorer Roo Walters. 62 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:42,143 ROO: When the divers entered these caves, 63 00:04:42,178 --> 00:04:43,524 they couldn't see a thing. 64 00:04:43,559 --> 00:04:45,319 They literally felt their way through. 65 00:04:45,354 --> 00:04:48,667 So we're going to show what that passage was really like. 66 00:04:49,565 --> 00:04:51,394 NARRATOR: Now that it's the dry season, 67 00:04:51,429 --> 00:04:56,192 the team can penetrate the darkness to deploy the latest technology 68 00:04:58,401 --> 00:05:01,818 and scan the cave in forensic detail. 69 00:05:04,338 --> 00:05:06,651 ROO: It'll start to reveal just how clever and how 70 00:05:06,685 --> 00:05:09,757 inspirational this whole exercise has been. 71 00:05:12,070 --> 00:05:14,106 NARRATOR: Even in the dry season, 72 00:05:14,141 --> 00:05:17,178 working here will be challenging. 73 00:05:22,874 --> 00:05:27,188 After two hours, the survey team is in a squeeze. 74 00:05:27,775 --> 00:05:29,846 MAN: And then it closes down again. 75 00:05:29,881 --> 00:05:31,572 NARRATOR: Trying to reach the place where the boys 76 00:05:31,607 --> 00:05:34,920 were eventually found, to begin their scan. 77 00:05:38,338 --> 00:05:40,132 MAN: How you doing there? 78 00:05:40,167 --> 00:05:41,720 Yeah? 79 00:05:41,755 --> 00:05:45,034 NARRATOR: They reach an area called Chamber 9. 80 00:05:45,068 --> 00:05:47,139 ROO: It changes direction here Joe. 81 00:05:47,174 --> 00:05:49,452 JOE: Yeah. Got a line up here. 82 00:05:51,420 --> 00:05:56,356 NARRATOR: This rope, put in place by the rescue divers. 83 00:05:56,390 --> 00:06:00,567 To help guide them through the silty water. 84 00:06:06,676 --> 00:06:07,953 JOE: Oh. Wow. 85 00:06:07,988 --> 00:06:11,957 ROO: Wow look at this! It's the end of the line Joe. 86 00:06:16,617 --> 00:06:20,172 NARRATOR: It was here the boys took refuge. 87 00:06:22,416 --> 00:06:24,211 JOE: That's quite something isn't it? 88 00:06:24,245 --> 00:06:28,491 ROO: That really is something... 89 00:06:30,459 --> 00:06:31,701 Gosh! 90 00:06:31,736 --> 00:06:35,118 NARRATOR: Left behind, foil blankets and remnants of 91 00:06:35,153 --> 00:06:38,812 survival from 18 days underground. 92 00:06:40,572 --> 00:06:43,575 JOE: Wow. Not a lot of space is there. 93 00:06:43,610 --> 00:06:45,439 ROO: It's not a lot of space. 94 00:06:45,474 --> 00:06:49,339 NARRATOR: And an insignia, left by the four Thai Navy Seals 95 00:06:49,374 --> 00:06:52,826 who joined the boys on this muddy ledge for 8 days. 96 00:06:53,827 --> 00:06:56,346 ROO: This is incredible, absolutely incredible. 97 00:06:56,381 --> 00:06:58,383 JOE: It's something else isn't it? 98 00:06:58,418 --> 00:07:01,075 ROO: It's emotional, it is. 99 00:07:01,421 --> 00:07:04,803 NARRATOR: They can now start scanning the cave. 100 00:07:05,252 --> 00:07:08,911 Sending out 300,000 laser beams a second 101 00:07:08,945 --> 00:07:13,294 and recording every reflection back from the cave walls. 102 00:07:14,503 --> 00:07:17,091 The team hopes its data will explain exactly how 103 00:07:17,126 --> 00:07:19,749 the boys got trapped. 104 00:07:30,035 --> 00:07:33,936 Ten months earlier, the first rescue team was on site. 105 00:07:34,626 --> 00:07:38,492 A mile inside the cave they made an alarming discovery. 106 00:07:38,527 --> 00:07:42,841 The passage they knew the boys had taken just hours earlier 107 00:07:42,876 --> 00:07:45,948 was now, full of muddy water. 108 00:07:46,535 --> 00:07:48,675 Where had it come from? 109 00:07:48,709 --> 00:07:52,264 And why had it risen so quickly? 110 00:07:59,617 --> 00:08:03,172 To find out, the survey team must scan the cave system from 111 00:08:03,206 --> 00:08:07,659 where the boys were trapped, all the way to the entrance. 112 00:08:09,799 --> 00:08:12,353 The team works its way through the tunnels, 113 00:08:12,388 --> 00:08:15,046 scanning every crack and fissure. 114 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:17,427 ROO: Alright Joe? JOE: Yeah all good. 115 00:08:18,049 --> 00:08:20,465 NARRATOR: After half a mile they reach a point they think 116 00:08:20,500 --> 00:08:24,296 is critical, called Sam Yek Junction. 117 00:08:26,575 --> 00:08:28,749 ROO: I think this must be Sam Yek Junction guys. 118 00:08:28,784 --> 00:08:30,579 JOE: Yeah. 119 00:08:31,027 --> 00:08:35,204 NARRATOR: The data they collect at Sam Yek junction will be vital. 120 00:08:42,832 --> 00:08:45,663 Feeding it into powerful computer software, 121 00:08:45,697 --> 00:08:50,012 we can now recreate the first section of the cave system, 122 00:08:50,046 --> 00:08:53,947 in perfect 3 dimensional detail. 123 00:08:55,155 --> 00:09:00,574 This is Chamber 9 where the boys were finally trapped... 124 00:09:02,645 --> 00:09:06,787 And this, the half mile long passage back... 125 00:09:10,998 --> 00:09:14,554 to Sam Yek junction. 126 00:09:24,633 --> 00:09:28,602 But a closer look at Sam Yek reveals a clue. 127 00:09:29,430 --> 00:09:34,297 Another tunnel, Monks series, joins the main cave system here. 128 00:09:37,646 --> 00:09:41,304 In the rainy season when these caves fill with water, 129 00:09:41,339 --> 00:09:46,896 Sam Yek becomes the meeting point for two underground rivers. 130 00:09:52,626 --> 00:09:55,456 Water finds its way through the cracks and channels of the 131 00:09:55,491 --> 00:09:59,599 limestone mountains into Tham Luang's cave system. 132 00:10:02,153 --> 00:10:05,432 VERN: This mountain is just a big sponge and during the 133 00:10:05,466 --> 00:10:09,609 rainy season there's a huge volume of water travels 134 00:10:09,643 --> 00:10:13,267 through Tham Luang Cave, basically like a big river. 135 00:10:16,823 --> 00:10:19,480 NARRATOR: Back in 2018 when the boys and their coach 136 00:10:19,515 --> 00:10:23,277 started exploring, there was no sign of rain. 137 00:10:25,694 --> 00:10:30,388 They had no difficulty walking through Sam Yek Junction. 138 00:10:34,461 --> 00:10:38,603 But outside, the weather was changing fast. 139 00:10:40,605 --> 00:10:44,644 The heavy monsoon rains had arrived weeks early. 140 00:10:45,955 --> 00:10:50,546 Almost an inch of rain fell in an hour. 141 00:10:57,829 --> 00:11:01,281 Water seeped through the limestone mountains, 142 00:11:01,315 --> 00:11:04,664 funneling down into Tham Luang. 143 00:11:07,528 --> 00:11:11,153 And then at Sam Yek junction, the other passage, 144 00:11:11,187 --> 00:11:15,882 Monks Series, brought yet more water into the cave. 145 00:11:23,821 --> 00:11:28,377 At Sam Yek's narrowest point the junction filled in just an hour, 146 00:11:28,411 --> 00:11:31,898 flooding it to the roof. 147 00:11:35,004 --> 00:11:40,665 The boys were now sealed inside the cave system with no way out. 148 00:11:43,910 --> 00:11:47,568 ROO: Sam Yek is the crux of this story and the 3D model 149 00:11:47,603 --> 00:11:51,400 clearly shows how that water then flooded the cave and 150 00:11:51,434 --> 00:11:53,782 entrapped the boys. 151 00:11:54,541 --> 00:11:57,544 VERN: It was very isolated. 152 00:11:57,578 --> 00:12:00,616 There was actually nowhere for them to go. 153 00:12:01,168 --> 00:12:04,413 NARRATOR: As rain continued to fall... 154 00:12:04,447 --> 00:12:06,726 water levels rose further. 155 00:12:07,727 --> 00:12:12,870 Forcing the boys deeper inside as they looked for higher ground. 156 00:12:14,250 --> 00:12:17,495 So how did they survive? 157 00:12:23,190 --> 00:12:29,576 ♪ 158 00:12:30,404 --> 00:12:32,510 NARRATOR: Desperate local officials called in the 159 00:12:32,544 --> 00:12:36,479 country's elite divers to search for the boys. 160 00:12:37,618 --> 00:12:40,035 The Thai Navy Seals... 161 00:12:42,244 --> 00:12:46,766 But the still rising water and strong currents forced them back. 162 00:12:48,388 --> 00:12:50,217 OMAR [over TV]: Relentless rain is jeopardizing an 163 00:12:50,252 --> 00:12:51,805 already risky operation. 164 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:53,393 REPORTER [over TV]: They believe that there has been 165 00:12:53,427 --> 00:12:55,395 flash flooding inside. 166 00:12:55,429 --> 00:12:59,468 OMAR [over TV]: The desperate race now is to find another way in. 167 00:13:04,438 --> 00:13:07,821 NARRATOR: Above ground armies of cavers scoured the 168 00:13:07,856 --> 00:13:11,549 mountains looking for a way into the cave from above. 169 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:16,450 The search was gathering momentum. 170 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:25,770 On day 9, a breakthrough. 171 00:13:26,288 --> 00:13:29,809 Electric pumps reduced the water levels. 172 00:13:31,983 --> 00:13:35,953 Making it safe enough for the Navy Seals to dive. 173 00:13:37,437 --> 00:13:42,891 They hunted for signs of life, deep inside and laid a 174 00:13:42,925 --> 00:13:46,826 guideline to mark their route back to safety. 175 00:13:48,689 --> 00:13:51,209 JOSH: We didn't really know exactly where the boys were. 176 00:13:51,244 --> 00:13:54,247 I thought it was probably more likely they were dead than 177 00:13:54,281 --> 00:13:56,801 alive at that point. 178 00:13:57,940 --> 00:14:01,116 NARRATOR: But they weren't dead. 179 00:14:01,150 --> 00:14:03,843 So how did they survive? 180 00:14:07,570 --> 00:14:11,885 Revisiting the data of the flooded cave reveals the answer. 181 00:14:13,645 --> 00:14:15,855 This is Sam Yek. 182 00:14:15,889 --> 00:14:20,169 Where the water rose quickly, trapping more water behind it. 183 00:14:25,071 --> 00:14:30,593 But here in Chamber 9, the boys managed to find refuge. 184 00:14:32,354 --> 00:14:36,910 Discovering a solitary shaft off the main passage. 185 00:14:37,566 --> 00:14:42,053 They scrambled up 14 feet above the water line. 186 00:14:46,471 --> 00:14:49,923 It's a safe haven, in a dark lofty hollow, 187 00:14:49,958 --> 00:14:54,721 that reaches 124 feet above the rest of the cave. 188 00:14:57,068 --> 00:15:00,278 This was the only space in the cave in which the boys 189 00:15:00,313 --> 00:15:03,523 could have survived. 190 00:15:06,457 --> 00:15:10,875 But a closer look at the cave data shows an intriguing anomaly, 191 00:15:12,359 --> 00:15:16,605 at the highest point of the boy's refuge a small cavity, 192 00:15:16,639 --> 00:15:20,920 two and a half feet wide and 9 feet long. 193 00:15:23,853 --> 00:15:26,028 ROO: It doesn't look like a normal piece of cave it really 194 00:15:26,063 --> 00:15:29,135 sticks out and that's because it isn't. 195 00:15:29,169 --> 00:15:32,310 NARRATOR: Revealed in the data, for the first time, 196 00:15:32,345 --> 00:15:35,106 a tunnel the boys dug out. 197 00:15:36,004 --> 00:15:37,315 ROO: It's amazing. 198 00:15:37,350 --> 00:15:38,730 Little stone tools are still there, 199 00:15:38,765 --> 00:15:42,872 scratches in the sides of the walls are still there. 200 00:15:45,945 --> 00:15:47,981 What must have been going through their minds as they dug 201 00:15:48,016 --> 00:15:51,571 with no idea of how far underground they are. 202 00:15:53,918 --> 00:15:57,749 NARRATOR: Could the boys have dug themselves out from Chamber 9? 203 00:15:57,784 --> 00:16:01,063 How far underground were they? 204 00:16:02,133 --> 00:16:05,516 To find out, the team need to do more than just survey 205 00:16:05,550 --> 00:16:08,519 inside the cave. 206 00:16:12,902 --> 00:16:17,252 They must also discover exactly where Tham Luang lies, 207 00:16:17,286 --> 00:16:20,186 beneath the mountains. 208 00:16:22,084 --> 00:16:25,915 The investigation takes to the air. 209 00:16:29,298 --> 00:16:32,336 ROO: We can connect the cave 3D model to the surface model 210 00:16:32,370 --> 00:16:35,304 and from that we'll actually be able to work out exactly 211 00:16:35,339 --> 00:16:38,135 how far the boys were underground. 212 00:16:41,034 --> 00:16:44,520 NARRATOR: Combining this aerial data with the underground scan, 213 00:16:44,555 --> 00:16:47,972 we can pinpoint exactly where the boys were 214 00:16:48,007 --> 00:16:51,458 in the mountain, 215 00:16:51,493 --> 00:16:55,221 one and half miles from the cave entrance, 216 00:16:56,808 --> 00:17:01,641 and above them, lay 2,000 feet of solid rock. 217 00:17:01,675 --> 00:17:04,885 Accurately revealed for the first time, 218 00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:08,993 the boys' complete isolation. 219 00:17:10,719 --> 00:17:14,309 Digging a tunnel was futile. 220 00:17:15,793 --> 00:17:19,072 ROO: What we've discovered, is just how remote the boys were. 221 00:17:19,107 --> 00:17:22,489 It must have been terrifying for them. 222 00:17:32,430 --> 00:17:36,227 NARRATOR: Dive teams had searched the flooded cave for days. 223 00:17:38,954 --> 00:17:41,681 Two British cave-divers joined them, 224 00:17:41,715 --> 00:17:45,098 helping to lay more guideline. 225 00:17:46,996 --> 00:17:50,655 Then, a mile and a half inside... 226 00:18:14,990 --> 00:18:16,957 REPORTER [over TV]: Dramatic scenes in Thailand. 227 00:18:16,992 --> 00:18:19,374 REPORTER [over TV]: Against all odds rescuers in Thailand 228 00:18:19,408 --> 00:18:21,893 have found 12 missing boys. 229 00:18:21,928 --> 00:18:24,896 REPORTER [over TV]: Well what an amazing day. 230 00:18:27,451 --> 00:18:29,729 REPORTER [over TV]: For family members pure elation after a 231 00:18:29,763 --> 00:18:32,766 heart-breaking waiting game. 232 00:18:35,942 --> 00:18:38,738 NARRATOR: The boys had survived underground for 233 00:18:38,772 --> 00:18:42,362 10 days with only the water dripping from the cave walls 234 00:18:42,397 --> 00:18:45,296 to sustain them. 235 00:18:46,159 --> 00:18:49,335 Within hours the Thai Navy Seals delivered food, 236 00:18:49,369 --> 00:18:53,718 medicine and foil blankets to prevent hypothermia. 237 00:18:54,581 --> 00:18:58,482 But one thing was on everyone's minds... 238 00:18:59,276 --> 00:19:04,729 VERN: Very quickly we realized that our problem was only just beginning. 239 00:19:05,558 --> 00:19:08,664 JOSH: Finding them is one thing but what are you gonna do next? 240 00:19:09,148 --> 00:19:12,772 NARRATOR: The Thai Authorities were desperate to find a simple solution. 241 00:19:15,188 --> 00:19:18,502 But it would take another 8 days of nerve-wracking and 242 00:19:18,536 --> 00:19:21,919 dangerous work to get the boys out. 243 00:19:22,161 --> 00:19:25,785 MARTYN: Little did we know how long and how complex that 244 00:19:25,819 --> 00:19:28,546 operation was going to become. 245 00:19:33,310 --> 00:19:36,899 NARRATOR: The Thai Authorities identified three options... 246 00:19:37,452 --> 00:19:41,387 One: wait for the monsoon rains to pass so the boys 247 00:19:41,421 --> 00:19:44,252 could walk out of a dry cave. 248 00:19:44,286 --> 00:19:47,255 But that would take months. 249 00:19:48,877 --> 00:19:52,605 Two: find another route into the cave from above. 250 00:19:52,639 --> 00:19:58,197 But a week of mountain searches discovered only dead ends. 251 00:20:00,406 --> 00:20:06,101 That left option three, the most extreme-sounding of all. 252 00:20:07,930 --> 00:20:09,380 REPORTER [over TV]: Are they gonna have to learn how to scuba dive 253 00:20:09,415 --> 00:20:13,073 their way out of there I mean that's really a tall order. 254 00:20:13,695 --> 00:20:16,284 REPORTER [over TV]: Yeah it's crazy isn't it. 255 00:20:17,077 --> 00:20:19,839 PASAKORN: We came to the conclusion that the only way 256 00:20:19,873 --> 00:20:23,532 to bring the children out was the same way they went in. 257 00:20:25,948 --> 00:20:29,573 MARTYN: The prospect of a diving rescue was hideous from the outset. 258 00:20:30,263 --> 00:20:33,301 NARRATOR: What is it about diving in Tham Luang that 259 00:20:33,335 --> 00:20:36,752 makes it just so dangerous? 260 00:20:44,381 --> 00:20:47,211 NARRATOR: It takes three weeks for the survey team to scan 261 00:20:47,246 --> 00:20:49,765 Tham Luang cave. 262 00:20:50,249 --> 00:20:55,115 All the way from Chamber 9 to the cave entrance. 263 00:20:58,981 --> 00:21:02,364 The boys were one and a half miles inside. 264 00:21:02,399 --> 00:21:06,506 But they were safe, and divers had managed to navigate the 265 00:21:06,541 --> 00:21:09,198 flooded tunnels to reach them. 266 00:21:10,234 --> 00:21:14,514 So why was it so difficult to get them out? 267 00:21:15,584 --> 00:21:19,070 To understand, takes big data. 268 00:21:19,726 --> 00:21:22,902 The team pieces together nearly 400 scans and 269 00:21:22,936 --> 00:21:25,905 builds a virtual cave system... 270 00:21:27,631 --> 00:21:29,495 ROO: So this is full res. 271 00:21:29,529 --> 00:21:32,083 JOE: The detail in that roof is fantastic. 272 00:21:32,429 --> 00:21:36,571 NARRATOR: A new visualization of this underground world. 273 00:21:38,366 --> 00:21:40,713 ROO: We will start to be able to show everybody what this 274 00:21:40,747 --> 00:21:42,715 cave is really like. 275 00:21:42,749 --> 00:21:44,889 It is gonna be quite magical. 276 00:21:44,924 --> 00:21:48,824 NARRATOR: With the world's first 3D digital survey of Tham Luang 277 00:21:48,859 --> 00:21:53,173 we can reveal the second section of the cave system, 278 00:21:53,208 --> 00:21:56,798 all the way from Chamber 9 to the entrance. 279 00:21:59,904 --> 00:22:04,599 8.7 billion data points, 280 00:22:05,634 --> 00:22:09,017 more than 7000 photographs, 281 00:22:10,052 --> 00:22:16,611 come together to build the flooded cave as it was in July 2018. 282 00:22:23,134 --> 00:22:28,795 Draining its water, for the first time.... 283 00:22:33,731 --> 00:22:38,357 Exposes all of its subterranean secrets. 284 00:22:45,433 --> 00:22:49,471 This is Chamber 9 to Sam Yek 285 00:22:49,678 --> 00:22:53,268 and now, the rest of Tham Luang cave, 286 00:23:00,171 --> 00:23:04,693 a narrow tunnel, that widens to the entrance. 287 00:23:06,971 --> 00:23:10,906 All together one and a half miles, 288 00:23:10,941 --> 00:23:14,393 the boys' only route out. 289 00:23:22,055 --> 00:23:25,680 Adding the water level of the time to the digital map 290 00:23:25,714 --> 00:23:29,960 reveals why Tham Luang's passages can be so lethal. 291 00:23:31,996 --> 00:23:36,069 In some places, underground canals formed. 292 00:23:37,139 --> 00:23:40,488 In others, the cave flooded to its roof, 293 00:23:40,522 --> 00:23:44,353 fully submerging the passage, 294 00:23:46,114 --> 00:23:50,152 in five sections known as sumps. 295 00:23:53,259 --> 00:23:59,092 The longest sump lay next to Chamber 9, over 1,000 feet long, 296 00:24:01,301 --> 00:24:05,133 the length of seven Olympic swimming pools, 297 00:24:06,962 --> 00:24:10,552 taken together there were half a mile of sumps, 298 00:24:10,587 --> 00:24:15,730 standing between the boys and safety. 299 00:24:20,182 --> 00:24:24,842 And the visibility was almost zero. 300 00:24:25,981 --> 00:24:29,537 The only way to escape Chamber 9 was a long 301 00:24:29,571 --> 00:24:32,747 perilous cave dive with air tanks, 302 00:24:34,265 --> 00:24:36,716 a potentially deadly option, 303 00:24:36,751 --> 00:24:41,203 even for Thailand's diving elite, the Navy Seals. 304 00:24:42,895 --> 00:24:45,967 JONGKLAI: The Thai Navy Seals who assisted with the rescue 305 00:24:46,001 --> 00:24:48,763 had only trained in open seas. 306 00:24:48,797 --> 00:24:52,318 They'd never dived in very narrow spaces. 307 00:24:56,771 --> 00:24:59,774 NARRATOR: They needed specialist help. 308 00:25:00,291 --> 00:25:03,225 A local caver, Vern Unsworth, had been part of the 309 00:25:03,260 --> 00:25:06,505 search and rescue mission since day one. 310 00:25:07,506 --> 00:25:12,165 After seven years exploring Tham Luang he well understood 311 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:14,374 the challenge ahead. 312 00:25:14,409 --> 00:25:18,551 VERN: We needed expert people out here, and, you know, 313 00:25:18,586 --> 00:25:21,140 at the end of the day it was the right decision. 314 00:25:21,174 --> 00:25:23,763 NARRATOR: He gave the Thai authorities a list of some of 315 00:25:23,798 --> 00:25:27,077 Britain's most experienced cave divers. 316 00:25:34,912 --> 00:25:40,539 An elite team arrived, including John Velanthon, 317 00:25:41,574 --> 00:25:47,235 Rick Stanton, Jason Mallinson and Chris Jewell. 318 00:25:49,927 --> 00:25:54,207 They are among just a small group of people in the world 319 00:25:54,242 --> 00:25:58,764 who had the unique skills needed inside Tham Luang. 320 00:26:00,213 --> 00:26:02,595 CHRIS: When we realized this was the best chance of the 321 00:26:02,630 --> 00:26:04,286 boys getting out alive, 322 00:26:04,321 --> 00:26:07,220 then we were determined to give it our best shot. 323 00:26:10,638 --> 00:26:14,262 NARRATOR: A rescue plan developed. 324 00:26:14,918 --> 00:26:18,887 From the entrance, the first half mile of cave was dry. 325 00:26:18,922 --> 00:26:21,510 At the end of it, Chamber 3. 326 00:26:21,545 --> 00:26:24,306 This would be dive base. 327 00:26:26,205 --> 00:26:28,759 From here, four cave divers would head deeper 328 00:26:28,794 --> 00:26:31,244 into the flooded cave. 329 00:26:31,279 --> 00:26:35,110 Three hours later they would reach the soccer team. 330 00:26:35,870 --> 00:26:38,838 Four boys would be equipped with scuba gear. 331 00:26:40,012 --> 00:26:44,292 Then each diver would return with one boy 332 00:26:44,326 --> 00:26:47,260 at 30-minute intervals. 333 00:26:47,606 --> 00:26:51,230 If everything went to plan, it would take a full day to 334 00:26:51,264 --> 00:26:54,026 extract four boys. 335 00:26:55,096 --> 00:26:57,581 On their way out, each diver and boy would need 336 00:26:57,616 --> 00:27:00,239 replacement air tanks. 337 00:27:01,205 --> 00:27:06,901 So, they placed 50 of them throughout the cave and seven 338 00:27:06,935 --> 00:27:10,559 support divers would wait between sumps to haul 339 00:27:10,594 --> 00:27:14,633 equipment and provide medical backup. 340 00:27:16,255 --> 00:27:20,052 It was a rescue plan like no other. 341 00:27:20,535 --> 00:27:22,882 CHRIS: The situation in Thailand was unprecedented. 342 00:27:22,917 --> 00:27:25,298 Nothing like this has, has ever happened before. 343 00:27:25,333 --> 00:27:28,336 Not those kind of distances and certainly that number of people. 344 00:27:38,070 --> 00:27:41,280 NARRATOR: There were nearly 100 divers on site. 345 00:27:43,834 --> 00:27:48,805 Emergency services, the US Army and volunteers, 346 00:27:48,839 --> 00:27:51,773 also out in force. 347 00:27:51,808 --> 00:27:57,089 All prepared and rehearsed for the first underwater extraction. 348 00:28:04,372 --> 00:28:08,272 At 1:30 AM, tragedy. 349 00:28:08,928 --> 00:28:10,585 VAUSE [over TV]: Breaking news out of Thailand. 350 00:28:10,619 --> 00:28:14,451 Where a former Thai Navy Seal has died during rescue operations. 351 00:28:16,004 --> 00:28:19,180 NARRATOR: Saman Kunan, seen here with the rescue team, 352 00:28:19,214 --> 00:28:22,597 was on an overnight mission to place air cylinders 353 00:28:22,631 --> 00:28:24,841 inside the cave. 354 00:28:24,875 --> 00:28:28,189 It's believed his own air ran out. 355 00:28:29,569 --> 00:28:31,399 REPORTER [over TV]: This has taken on a whole new level of 356 00:28:31,433 --> 00:28:35,403 seriousness, there's a sense of mourning here today. 357 00:28:37,060 --> 00:28:38,578 REPORTER [over TV]: It's raised serious doubts about 358 00:28:38,613 --> 00:28:42,306 how they'll get the 12 boys and their coach out alive. 359 00:28:43,583 --> 00:28:47,864 NARRATOR: How would the boys escape a cave that can kill 360 00:28:47,898 --> 00:28:50,729 even the best divers? 361 00:28:57,287 --> 00:29:00,877 NARRATOR: Diving in Tham Luang had already taken one life. 362 00:29:02,706 --> 00:29:05,398 It was an even greater threat to children who 363 00:29:05,433 --> 00:29:08,229 had never dived before. 364 00:29:09,195 --> 00:29:13,199 But the greatest danger of all, lay not in the cave, 365 00:29:13,234 --> 00:29:17,169 but in the heads of the boys themselves. 366 00:29:18,101 --> 00:29:21,483 MARTYN: If you take an inexperienced person underwater 367 00:29:22,726 --> 00:29:27,766 then there is a high probability that they're going to panic. 368 00:29:30,044 --> 00:29:33,737 How were they going to cope with something as traumatic 369 00:29:33,772 --> 00:29:36,775 as the prospect of diving, where you can't see 370 00:29:36,809 --> 00:29:39,778 your hand in front of your face? 371 00:29:41,193 --> 00:29:43,195 JASON: If they'd have panicked underwater they could have not 372 00:29:43,229 --> 00:29:45,542 only killed themselves, they could have dragged our 373 00:29:45,576 --> 00:29:49,063 regulators out of our mouths we didn't want them to die and 374 00:29:49,097 --> 00:29:51,859 we didn't want to die ourselves. 375 00:29:58,279 --> 00:30:02,283 NARRATOR: So the divers made the most radical decision of the rescue. 376 00:30:02,317 --> 00:30:05,355 To sedate the children. 377 00:30:06,356 --> 00:30:09,290 JASON: It was a consensus amongst all the divers. 378 00:30:09,324 --> 00:30:13,156 We weren't going to risk doing it without them being sedated. 379 00:30:14,226 --> 00:30:16,918 NARRATOR: Doctors tailored a different mix of anesthetics 380 00:30:16,953 --> 00:30:20,853 for every child, depending on age and weight. 381 00:30:22,475 --> 00:30:27,273 No one had ever attempted to dive with unconscious children before. 382 00:30:28,205 --> 00:30:31,657 MARTYN: Having to sedate these youngsters to such a level 383 00:30:31,691 --> 00:30:35,212 that they were incapacitated but remain alive, 384 00:30:35,247 --> 00:30:38,526 and then be thrust into the cold water was an 385 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:40,735 extremely risky proposition. 386 00:30:40,769 --> 00:30:42,392 JASON: As we were planning it we were thinking, 387 00:30:42,426 --> 00:30:45,636 you know it could be some of these kids that are gonna die. 388 00:30:46,465 --> 00:30:49,192 NARRATOR: And as our cave data reveal, 389 00:30:49,226 --> 00:30:52,264 using a sedative left the cave divers with a 390 00:30:52,298 --> 00:30:54,922 further complication. 391 00:30:58,235 --> 00:31:00,997 To extract each boy through the five sumps 392 00:31:01,031 --> 00:31:04,448 would take three to five hours. 393 00:31:05,760 --> 00:31:11,076 But a safe dose of the sedative would last just an hour or less. 394 00:31:17,876 --> 00:31:21,017 And so, to prevent the boys from waking, 395 00:31:21,051 --> 00:31:24,020 the divers would have no option, 396 00:31:24,054 --> 00:31:27,886 they'd have to inject them during the rescue. 397 00:31:28,956 --> 00:31:31,855 JASON: Never actually done it before and yes it was the first time. 398 00:31:31,890 --> 00:31:33,857 I was quite nervous obviously. 399 00:31:33,892 --> 00:31:38,689 NARRATOR: And they could do that only in the dry parts of the cave, 400 00:31:38,724 --> 00:31:42,901 between sumps, not underwater... 401 00:31:44,764 --> 00:31:49,804 Something that would bring diver Jason Mallinson close to disaster. 402 00:31:57,674 --> 00:32:00,435 Nature was not on the rescuer's side. 403 00:32:00,470 --> 00:32:02,713 More rain was forecast. 404 00:32:03,093 --> 00:32:05,854 PASAKORN: If we didn't rescue them immediately we might have 405 00:32:05,889 --> 00:32:07,926 had even bigger problems. 406 00:32:08,374 --> 00:32:10,929 NARRATOR: They scheduled the extraction. 407 00:32:20,869 --> 00:32:23,942 NARRATOR: As more monsoon rain closed in, 408 00:32:23,976 --> 00:32:27,255 the divers headed inside Tham Luang. 409 00:32:27,773 --> 00:32:30,949 The boys had been underground for 16 days. 410 00:32:32,502 --> 00:32:38,128 The most dangerous cave diving rescue in history was about to begin... 411 00:32:39,509 --> 00:32:42,236 VERN: We honestly believed that there would be an attrition rate, 412 00:32:42,270 --> 00:32:44,686 if two of them came out alive that would've 413 00:32:44,721 --> 00:32:46,723 been a good result. 414 00:32:46,757 --> 00:32:49,968 NARRATOR: And the world was watching. 415 00:32:55,042 --> 00:32:58,321 The rescuers began their dive to Chamber 9. 416 00:32:59,908 --> 00:33:03,257 Jason Mallinson volunteered to run the first rescue. 417 00:33:05,604 --> 00:33:10,643 The life in his hands was 14 year old Prachak Sutham, 418 00:33:10,678 --> 00:33:13,508 nicknamed Note. 419 00:33:13,922 --> 00:33:16,546 JASON: Until that first flooded section was traversed 420 00:33:16,580 --> 00:33:19,549 by myself and the boy, nothing else could move forward 421 00:33:20,757 --> 00:33:24,347 NARRATOR: Together they would discover if a rescue was possible. 422 00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:28,834 They fitted a single air tank to Note's chest and gave him a 423 00:33:28,868 --> 00:33:32,148 buoyancy vest with straps for Jason to hold. 424 00:33:34,426 --> 00:33:39,465 In case contact was lost, a safety tether joined boy to rescuer. 425 00:33:41,433 --> 00:33:44,229 To stop Note's mask being dislodged, 426 00:33:44,263 --> 00:33:47,680 Jason would shield the boy's head with his own body and 427 00:33:47,715 --> 00:33:52,996 finally, for both their sakes, Note's hands were tied to his 428 00:33:53,031 --> 00:33:56,137 sides in case he awoke. 429 00:34:03,248 --> 00:34:08,253 Around 1 PM Jason and Note began the first journey out. 430 00:34:09,219 --> 00:34:13,361 With the cave data we can do something impossible up to now. 431 00:34:16,675 --> 00:34:21,300 Use technology to see through the muddy water to relive the 432 00:34:21,335 --> 00:34:25,960 most dangerous cave diving rescue of all time. 433 00:34:26,995 --> 00:34:30,620 And reveal Tham Luang in a way that even the divers 434 00:34:30,654 --> 00:34:33,692 were unable to see. 435 00:34:34,486 --> 00:34:39,629 This, the first sump, 1,000 feet long, underwater. 436 00:34:41,079 --> 00:34:46,705 And the dive line their only chance of finding their way to safety. 437 00:34:47,326 --> 00:34:49,017 JASON: The worst fear was losing contact with the 438 00:34:49,052 --> 00:34:51,917 guideline and losing contact with the boy. 439 00:34:51,951 --> 00:34:55,093 We felt a tremendous amount of responsibility for the boys, 440 00:34:55,127 --> 00:34:58,889 a child's life that's in your hands, a child who's asleep, 441 00:34:58,924 --> 00:35:01,858 a child underwater. 442 00:35:02,721 --> 00:35:05,310 I was nervous a lot of the time. 443 00:35:06,483 --> 00:35:08,209 NARRATOR: At half hour intervals, 444 00:35:08,244 --> 00:35:12,282 three more divers entered the first sump with three more boys. 445 00:35:13,939 --> 00:35:16,252 Not far behind Jason and Note, 446 00:35:16,286 --> 00:35:20,946 were diver Chris Jewell and 15 year old Nick. 447 00:35:24,432 --> 00:35:28,816 Separately each pair approached Tham Luang's first constriction. 448 00:35:29,368 --> 00:35:32,544 JASON: First time you know about it is when you hit the roof. 449 00:35:33,476 --> 00:35:36,824 NARRATOR: A low passage, just 30 inches high, 450 00:35:36,858 --> 00:35:39,551 little room for error. 451 00:35:39,999 --> 00:35:42,726 CHRIS: My back would be against the cave roof and my 452 00:35:42,761 --> 00:35:45,626 chest would be against the floor of the cave. 453 00:35:46,316 --> 00:35:49,043 NARRATOR: The dive line was difficult to follow as it 454 00:35:49,077 --> 00:35:52,219 meandered between the cave walls. 455 00:35:53,185 --> 00:35:55,498 CHRIS: I was often bouncing off the rock and having to 456 00:35:55,532 --> 00:35:59,743 kind of back up and try and go forward again into different spaces. 457 00:36:00,779 --> 00:36:04,127 NARRATOR: One after the other the divers felt their way 458 00:36:04,162 --> 00:36:07,855 through the sumps carrying their precious cargo. 459 00:36:09,995 --> 00:36:13,378 CHRIS: We might knock the mask off so we were trying to go 460 00:36:13,412 --> 00:36:17,692 through these small spaces quite carefully, taking our time 461 00:36:18,831 --> 00:36:22,214 whilst holding onto the dive line in one hand 462 00:36:22,249 --> 00:36:25,493 and holding onto the child in the other hand. 463 00:36:28,393 --> 00:36:31,706 NARRATOR: But the sedatives were beginning to wear off. 464 00:36:32,328 --> 00:36:36,573 Making an already difficult situation, life-threatening. 465 00:36:37,747 --> 00:36:41,544 JASON: You'd be diving along underwater and you could feel the hands twitching. 466 00:36:42,579 --> 00:36:47,239 NARRATOR: Revealed accurately; the scene of one perilous incident. 467 00:36:48,689 --> 00:36:52,037 Between dives, Jason was able to surface, 468 00:36:52,071 --> 00:36:55,316 but he was still chest deep in water. 469 00:36:55,765 --> 00:36:58,595 JASON: I was in a deep canal; I was on my own and there was 470 00:36:58,630 --> 00:37:01,253 no dry place to put the boy and I needed to inject the 471 00:37:01,288 --> 00:37:03,911 sedative into his thigh. 472 00:37:04,429 --> 00:37:09,399 NARRATOR: Ahead of them, the second sump, another 1,000 feet underwater, 473 00:37:09,434 --> 00:37:13,645 Jason had no option but to inject the sedative 474 00:37:13,679 --> 00:37:16,199 right where he was. 475 00:37:16,544 --> 00:37:19,547 JASON: I was trying to undo the dry bag with two hands but 476 00:37:19,582 --> 00:37:21,860 keep control of the child as well. 477 00:37:21,894 --> 00:37:23,896 It was quite hard to hold him I had to sort of pin him 478 00:37:23,931 --> 00:37:26,899 against the wall with my leg, try and get all the syringes 479 00:37:26,934 --> 00:37:29,454 out of the bag, they all started floating around in the 480 00:37:29,488 --> 00:37:32,526 water and I'm trying to get the, the syringes. 481 00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:34,113 I was quite nervous obviously, 482 00:37:34,148 --> 00:37:37,324 and I managed to bring his leg up, 483 00:37:38,394 --> 00:37:40,741 put the sedative into his leg. 484 00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:53,409 MARTYN: The whole thing is really fraught with mental strain. 485 00:37:54,202 --> 00:37:56,688 JASON: High stress, that's for sure. 486 00:37:57,102 --> 00:37:59,415 NARRATOR: After two grueling hours, 487 00:37:59,449 --> 00:38:02,418 rescuers and boys had traveled through four sumps 488 00:38:02,452 --> 00:38:05,283 along a mile of cave. 489 00:38:05,317 --> 00:38:07,492 But it wasn't over. 490 00:38:07,526 --> 00:38:13,912 Ahead lay a dive in the final sump and the tightest squeeze of them all. 491 00:38:19,469 --> 00:38:22,196 NARRATOR: Following the dive line the survey team locates 492 00:38:22,230 --> 00:38:25,026 Tham Luang's worst pinch point. 493 00:38:25,303 --> 00:38:26,683 ROO: Look at this constriction. 494 00:38:26,718 --> 00:38:28,098 MAN: Doesn't look very nice. 495 00:38:28,133 --> 00:38:30,273 ROO: Gosh that's small. 496 00:38:31,170 --> 00:38:35,347 NARRATOR: How would a diver and a child fit through here? 497 00:38:40,766 --> 00:38:44,011 The 3D data exposes the problem, 498 00:38:44,045 --> 00:38:47,532 over 100 feet into the final sump. 499 00:38:49,741 --> 00:38:54,055 The dive line goes through a curtain of stalactites. 500 00:38:55,229 --> 00:38:59,854 A gap just 20 inches wide at its narrowest point. 501 00:39:01,304 --> 00:39:03,375 JASON: You couldn't fit through the stalactites. 502 00:39:03,410 --> 00:39:06,965 It's certainly the most difficult part of the cave to navigate. 503 00:39:08,380 --> 00:39:12,557 NARRATOR: But the data reveals something the divers couldn't see. 504 00:39:13,385 --> 00:39:18,183 Below the dive line, a wider passage, 6 feet deep. 505 00:39:19,287 --> 00:39:23,740 But making use of this space, by feeling a way through, 506 00:39:23,775 --> 00:39:25,811 was risky. 507 00:39:26,329 --> 00:39:28,538 CHRIS: You have to back out, pull the line and find the 508 00:39:28,573 --> 00:39:30,851 biggest space that you could work your way round. 509 00:39:30,885 --> 00:39:32,818 JASON: We had to pull the line down, 510 00:39:32,853 --> 00:39:35,096 stretch it down and go under the stalactites. 511 00:39:35,131 --> 00:39:38,099 NARRATOR: By pulling down on the dive line the divers could 512 00:39:38,134 --> 00:39:40,619 swim beneath the pinch point. 513 00:39:40,654 --> 00:39:45,762 But the extra tension on the line made it harder to hold on to. 514 00:39:47,177 --> 00:39:49,317 JASON: There was always potential for it to slip 515 00:39:49,352 --> 00:39:52,976 through your fingers and then spring up into the roof. 516 00:39:53,805 --> 00:39:55,945 NARRATOR: Slowly and carefully, 517 00:39:55,979 --> 00:39:59,362 the divers made it through without losing the line, 518 00:39:59,397 --> 00:40:01,847 this time. 519 00:40:06,162 --> 00:40:09,579 By late afternoon Jason had been caving and diving 520 00:40:09,614 --> 00:40:12,099 for five hours. 521 00:40:14,170 --> 00:40:19,002 Awaiting them in Chamber 3, the international rescue team. 522 00:40:21,108 --> 00:40:23,213 JASON: You just knew that you were seconds away from 523 00:40:23,248 --> 00:40:26,596 surfacing and being able to pass responsibility for that 524 00:40:26,631 --> 00:40:29,806 boy's life on to somebody else. 525 00:40:31,394 --> 00:40:34,224 JOSH: The cave line would start to get some tension on it, 526 00:40:34,259 --> 00:40:36,572 like a fishing line and so the guys in Chamber 3 527 00:40:36,606 --> 00:40:39,264 would radio up 'fish on' because that meant a diver 528 00:40:39,298 --> 00:40:42,232 was pulling on the line, coming toward them. 529 00:40:49,377 --> 00:40:54,382 JASON: I was very relieved to have got that first boy out alive. 530 00:40:55,591 --> 00:40:58,835 NARRATOR: Expert cavers and medics took over. 531 00:41:01,389 --> 00:41:04,738 They carried and hoisted Note in a stretcher through the 532 00:41:04,772 --> 00:41:08,155 final half mile of cave. 533 00:41:19,477 --> 00:41:23,895 The first four boys were out of Tham Luang cave. 534 00:41:23,929 --> 00:41:26,587 All alive. 535 00:41:26,622 --> 00:41:28,520 REPORTER [over TV]: Mission impossible has now become 536 00:41:28,555 --> 00:41:30,315 mission incredible. 537 00:41:30,349 --> 00:41:31,972 REPORTER [over TV]: Well this is what all of those who've been 538 00:41:32,006 --> 00:41:34,871 involved in this operation have been waiting to see, 539 00:41:34,906 --> 00:41:37,805 the boys are coming out. 540 00:41:38,634 --> 00:41:40,705 CHRIS: The buzz was amazing. 541 00:41:40,739 --> 00:41:43,846 It was quite incredible that we got the first four out 542 00:41:43,880 --> 00:41:45,295 we weren't sure we would. 543 00:41:45,330 --> 00:41:47,677 VERN: Emotions were running high, um, 544 00:41:47,712 --> 00:41:52,371 as you can probably tell, now, um, absolutely amazing. 545 00:42:00,345 --> 00:42:04,211 NARRATOR: Eight more children and the coach remained inside. 546 00:42:06,144 --> 00:42:09,975 A further energy-sapping 8 hours of diving and caving for 547 00:42:10,010 --> 00:42:13,151 each rescuer, lay ahead. 548 00:42:13,703 --> 00:42:17,120 CHRIS: We needed to do it not once more, but twice more. 549 00:42:22,747 --> 00:42:26,371 NARRATOR: The divers headed back for a second group of boys. 550 00:42:26,578 --> 00:42:28,200 It was another success. 551 00:42:28,615 --> 00:42:31,169 REPORTER [over TV]: Four more boys emerging from that 552 00:42:31,203 --> 00:42:32,929 cramped and flooded cave. 553 00:42:32,964 --> 00:42:36,174 REPORTER [over TV]: All are now in hospital in nearby Chiang Rai... 554 00:42:42,421 --> 00:42:46,425 NARRATOR: There were just four boys and the coach left to rescue. 555 00:42:47,047 --> 00:42:50,015 But the drama was far from over. 556 00:42:50,429 --> 00:42:53,536 Chris Jewell was diving out with the 11th boy, 557 00:42:53,571 --> 00:42:56,574 13 year old Sompong Jaiwong. 558 00:42:57,609 --> 00:42:59,646 JOSH: It's very easy to forget the 11th dive is 559 00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:02,303 as dangerous as the 1st dive. 560 00:43:02,338 --> 00:43:06,169 NARRATOR: Two hours in, Chris entered the last sump. 561 00:43:06,204 --> 00:43:08,620 CHRIS: I had the last bit of diving to do. 562 00:43:08,655 --> 00:43:11,830 I thought I'd sussed it. 563 00:43:13,418 --> 00:43:18,734 NARRATOR: The 3D data reveals the dive line goes around a corner, 564 00:43:18,768 --> 00:43:22,151 where it is pulled tight beneath a boulder. 565 00:43:24,291 --> 00:43:28,847 For Chris, the tension on the line proved too much. 566 00:43:31,091 --> 00:43:32,575 CHRIS: Through the process of going round that corner I was 567 00:43:32,610 --> 00:43:35,889 stretching the line with my hand and it just slipped out 568 00:43:35,923 --> 00:43:38,616 of my fingers. 569 00:43:42,412 --> 00:43:45,381 When you lose the line in an underwater cave 570 00:43:45,415 --> 00:43:47,832 that's really bad news. 571 00:43:50,904 --> 00:43:54,528 I couldn't see which way to go. 572 00:43:57,048 --> 00:43:59,119 NARRATOR: Time was running out, 573 00:43:59,153 --> 00:44:01,639 both Chris and the sedated boy were using up 574 00:44:01,673 --> 00:44:04,883 their limited air supply. 575 00:44:06,402 --> 00:44:10,371 CHRIS: I was sweeping with my arms, trying to pick up the line 576 00:44:12,511 --> 00:44:15,791 and I couldn't find the line. 577 00:44:18,172 --> 00:44:21,313 The most important thing is not to panic. 578 00:44:22,383 --> 00:44:25,766 NARRATOR: The data reveals that as Chris felt for the line 579 00:44:25,801 --> 00:44:29,390 it lay just within arm's reach, 580 00:44:30,115 --> 00:44:32,670 but in zero visibility, 581 00:44:32,704 --> 00:44:35,534 finding it was a matter of chance. 582 00:44:38,192 --> 00:44:42,507 After 4 long minutes, Chris discovered not the line, 583 00:44:42,541 --> 00:44:44,958 but an electrical cable, 584 00:44:44,992 --> 00:44:48,030 laid in the early days of the rescue. 585 00:44:48,927 --> 00:44:53,621 Instead of leading Chris out, it led him all the way back, 586 00:44:53,656 --> 00:44:56,797 to the start of the sump. 587 00:44:57,246 --> 00:44:59,835 CHRIS: Thankfully I realized I was back somewhere that 588 00:44:59,869 --> 00:45:02,665 I was familiar with. 589 00:45:03,114 --> 00:45:05,806 NARRATOR: In the dry cave Chris found the line and 590 00:45:05,841 --> 00:45:08,982 continued his rescue. 591 00:45:13,814 --> 00:45:16,023 Against all the odds, 592 00:45:16,058 --> 00:45:19,406 the rescuers completed their mission. 593 00:45:21,511 --> 00:45:24,445 ITN: They are safe, they are out, they have done it! 594 00:45:24,722 --> 00:45:27,828 REPORTER [over TV]: They have been rescued from that flooded cave. 595 00:45:27,863 --> 00:45:31,521 REPORTER [over TV]: Millions of people are breathing easier tonight. 596 00:45:32,488 --> 00:45:35,594 NARRATOR: After an intense struggle with nature. 597 00:45:36,319 --> 00:45:39,806 The agonizing wait was over. 598 00:45:42,153 --> 00:45:46,122 VERN: Unreal, amazing, 13 out of 13, 599 00:45:46,157 --> 00:45:49,470 it's not an unlucky number anymore. 600 00:45:53,785 --> 00:45:56,615 CHRIS: Things that seem impossible aren't always so. 601 00:45:56,650 --> 00:46:00,033 Difficult things can be achieved and amazing things can happen. 602 00:46:00,516 --> 00:46:02,690 PASAKORN: None of us were doing this out of duty 603 00:46:02,725 --> 00:46:05,659 but out of a desire to save them. 604 00:46:05,693 --> 00:46:08,351 ROO: I remain in absolute awe of everybody that took part 605 00:46:08,386 --> 00:46:11,320 and the wonderful story that this is. 606 00:46:13,563 --> 00:46:16,946 NARRATOR: Three months later, on British TV, 607 00:46:16,981 --> 00:46:20,743 divers Chris and Jason were reunited with the boys 608 00:46:20,778 --> 00:46:24,229 whose lives they'd saved. 609 00:46:26,024 --> 00:46:27,957 JASON: I didn't know any of their names. 610 00:46:27,992 --> 00:46:31,858 I remembered them by numbers 1, 5, 9, and 13. 611 00:46:32,444 --> 00:46:37,691 [applause]. 612 00:46:38,588 --> 00:46:41,039 I think they really wanted to connect with the people that 613 00:46:41,074 --> 00:46:42,903 had brought them out so it was a really nice, 614 00:46:42,938 --> 00:46:44,802 nice thing that. 615 00:46:44,836 --> 00:46:46,838 TRANSLATOR: You are my heroes, 616 00:46:46,873 --> 00:46:50,808 thank you very much from the bottom of our hearts. 617 00:46:50,842 --> 00:46:52,602 We love you. 618 00:46:52,637 --> 00:46:56,814 [applause]. 619 00:47:05,857 --> 00:47:07,134 Captioned by Cotter Captioning Services.