World leaders congratulate rescue mission of 12 Thai boys and coach

World leaders have come out to congratulate the successful mission to rescue 12 young "Wild Boar" footballers and their coach, who were trapped inside the flooded Tham Luang cave complex in Chiang Rai for more than two weeks.

The last five survivors of the ordeal were brought out safely by the rescue team on Tuesday (Jul 10), joining eight others who were rescued in a similarly risky mission on Sunday and Monday.

United States President Donald Trump tweeted his congratulations: "On behalf of the United States, congratulations to the Thai Navy SEALs and all on the successful rescue of the 12 boys and their coach from the treacherous cave in Thailand. Such a beautiful moment - all freed, great job!," he said.

The United States' Pacific Command (PACOM) had sent a team of experts to Tham Luang cave to assist the Thai rescue team in the mission.

British Prime Minister Theresa May also expressed her delight at the positive turn of events in Chiang Rai, saying: "The world was watching and will be saluting the bravery of all those involved."

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also hailed the rescuers of the "complex operation", saying the mission was a "remarkable display of strength of the human spirit".

"It is an inspiring tale of what different nations and groups can achieve by working together," he said in a Facebook post late on Tuesday.

British cave experts played a vital role throughout the rescue mission, becoming the first rescue team to find the boys and their coach inside the cave, nine days after they went missing.

Besides US and British experts, rescue teams from other countries such as Myanmar, Laos, Philippines, Japan, China and Australia also participated, giving the operations a truly multinational effort.

 

Photo Thai Navy Seals/Facebook. Caption: The last of the 4 divers to come out of the cave after the final rescue effort