Trapped Boys Are Getting Diving Lessons

If 12 boys and their coach are going to get out of a flooded cave in northern Thailand before monsoon rains make their situation worse, it is going to have to happen soon, authorities say. The government says the boys are receiving crash courses in swimming and diving from rescue teams, though the 2.5-mile route to safety through dark, treacherous tunnels takes even the best divers around three hours, reports Reuters. The governor of Chiang Rai province, Narongsak Osatanakorn, says the youth soccer team has been practicing with diving masks but he's not sure if they have attempted any dives yet, the Guardian reports. He says no attempt to extract the boys will be made Wednesday, though the weather will remain ideal for a rescue later in the week.

Rainy season is only just beginning in the area, meaning the boys could be trapped for up to four months if authorities decide it is too dangerous to extract them, though the military describes four months as a worst-case scenario. In video released by Thai Navy SEALs, the boys, aged from 11 to 16, appear healthy, the BBC reports. The boys, who have been in the cave since June 23, have been provided with supplies and the military says two SEALs will remain with them at all times. To keep water levels as low as possible, teams of soldiers and other rescuers have been pumping water out and building weirs across creeks to divert water away from the cave system, the Bangkok Post reports. Teams are also trying to find cave shafts that could offer another escape route.

=== Key Expressions ===

monsoon: (동남아시아 여름철의) 우기[장마]; (이 시기의) 폭풍우, 장맛비

treacherous: 기만적인, 신뢰할 수 없는

extract: (특히 힘들여) 꺼내다[뽑다/빼다] The dentist may decide that the wisdom teeth need to be extracted. 치과 의사가 사랑니를 뽑아야 한다는 결정을 내릴 수도 있다.

Navy SEAL: 네이비실, 미국 해군의 엘리트 특수부대 - SEAL은 바다ㆍ공중ㆍ지상(sea, air and land)을 의미

weir: 둑(강물의 흐름을 돌리기 위해 낮게 막은 것) A weir is a low barrier which is built across a river in order to control or direct the flow of water.

creek: (英) 작은 만 A creek is a narrow place where the sea comes a long way into the land.

divert: 방향을 바꾸게 하다[전환시키다], 우회시키다 Northbound traffic will have to be diverted onto minor roads. 북쪽으로 향하는 차량들은 소도로들로 우회해야 할 것이다.

shaft: (보통 건물・지하의) 수직 통로, 수갱 a lift/elevator shaft 엘리베이터 통로 a mineshaft 탄갱 a ventilation shaft 환기 통로