THE Thai soccer team trapped inside a flooded cave for two weeks have spoken about their ordeal for the first time since being released from hospital on Wednesday.

Adun Sam, 14, revealed the ‘magical’ moment that two British divers discovered them deep inside the Tham Luang cave complex and said they ‘didn’t believe it’ at first.

Sam, who spoke at a press conference alongside his teammates and coach, said: ‘We didn’t think it was real at first, we were afraid they would walk past, so I said “hello”.

‘I heard “hello” first but I did not see him at first. We heard them because they got out of the water and they were saying something.

‘I thought they were Thai officers but when they got out of the water I found they were English. I didn’t know what to say so I said “hello”.

‘It was magical, I was shocked, I had to think about the question when got up he asked “how are you” and I said “we are OK”. I said “can I help you?” and he said “no, just go up to the ledge.”

‘They asked “how many of you”. I said “13” and they said “brilliant”.’

The government has allotted a 45-minute slot for the conference on its ‘Thailand Moves Forward’ programme, which will be televised live on dozens of channels around 6 p.m. (1100 GMT)

The boys, their coach and some rescuers will be asked a series of questions submitted by journalists in advance, officials said.

‘We don’t know what wounds the kids are carrying in their hearts,’ said justice ministry official Tawatchai Thaikaew, who asked for the boys’ privacy to be respected after the discharge, for fear that media attention could affect their mental health.

‘The media know the children are in a difficult situation, they have overcome peril and if you ask risky questions then it could break the law,’ he told reporters.

ALSO READ: Benin city residents protest death of infant in flood

Families of the youngsters are eagerly awaiting the homecoming.

Khameuy Promthep, the grandmother of 13-year-old Dom, one of the boys rescued from the cave, told AFP in an interview at their family shop in Mae Sai near the Myanmar border on Wednesday that she was very excited.

‘This is the happiest day of my life,’ she said.

The daring Thai-led international effort to rescue the team captivated the world after the football team walked into the cave on June 23 and were trapped by rising floodwaters.

After nine days without a steady supply of food or water, they were found emaciated and huddled in a group on a muddy ledge by British divers several kilometres inside Tham Luang.

Rescuers debated on the best plan to bring them out but ultimately decided on a risky operation that involved diving them through waterlogged passages while they were sedated to keep them calm and carrying them out in military-grade stretchers.

Not even the foreign cave diving specialists who took part were sure the mission would work and many expressed relief when it was all over after the final five were rescued on July 10.

The post Thai cave boys tell world of ‘miracle’ rescue appeared first on Tribune.