Water, mud block rescue attempt for 12 boys inside Thai cave

Multiple attempts to locate 12 boys and their soccer coach missing in a flooded cave complex in northern Thailand for nearly two days have failed, but officials said today they believe they're still alive.

The boys, aged 11-15, are believed to have entered the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province with their coach late Saturday afternoon. A mother reported that her son never returned from soccer practice that day, setting off the search.

"We are still searching right now," Chote Narin, an officer at Mae Sai district police station, said today afternoon. "We've found traces but no people yet." He said footprints and handprints were found inside the cave complex and officials believe the boys are still alive. He said the fact that they're athletes should help them endure the situation.

Navy SEAL divers were trying to reach a large chamber deep inside the cave complex where officials thought the students might be. The chamber is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the entrance of the cave, which is thought to be about 6-8 kilometers (4-5 miles) long.

Kamolchai Kotcha, an official at the forest park where the cave is located, said today morning that attempts to reach the chamber had failed as the passage is extremely small, "flooded and covered with sand and mud."