Tham Luang children found safe!

CHIANG RAI: Officials in Chiang Rai have confirmed they have been informed by rescue teams that all 12 school children and their coach have been found safe in Tham Luang Cave.

The Chiang Rai office of the Public Relations Deprtment broadcast the annoucement from the site of the rescue operations by the entrance to he cave at about 10:40pm this evening.

See the live broadcast on the Chiang Rai PR Dept Facebook page by clicking here.

More details to follow

UPDATE: Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn said the 13 were found in the area near the so-called Pattaya Beach and rescuers were planning late Monday night to get them out of the cave, reports the Bangkok Post. (See story here.)

"Thai Navy seals have found all 13 with signs of life," the governor told reporters. "We found all 13 safe... we will take care of them until they can move.

"Our first mission is accomplished. Now we are trying to get them out," the Governor added.

Despite the careful wording by Mr Narongsak, all early indications were that the boys and coach have survived their ordeal without major physical problems.

The team have been trapped in the cave in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai, since June 23.

The Phuket News notes that one photo circulating immediately after the news broke showing some of the boys smiling in the dark with their shirts off was quickly confirmed by TV news teams at the rescue base camp to be an old photo.

Meanwhile, the Thai Navy SEAL Facebook page reports, "Found the Wild Boars already", referring to the school children and their coach by their football team name.

"But our mission is not over. Divers have still to get medicine, power gel and emergency equipment and supplies to them... until we can get them out... HooYah." (See post here.)