The UK and Australian governments negotiated with Thailand to make sure divers would get immunity if someone died during the mission to rescue the Thai boys' soccer team from a flooded cave
- Before a group of British, Australian, and American divers joined Thai Navy SEALs in rescuing a boys soccer team from a Thai cave last year, they made sure they were protected from reprisals if anything went wrong on the risky mission.
- A year after the ordeal, BBC reported Monday that the British and Australian governments negotiated with Thai officials to ensure that the divers on the rescue team were given immunity.
- Luckily, the rescue went according to plan and all of the boys and their coach survived.
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Before sending in a team of elite divers to rescue a boys' soccer team after they became trapped in a Thai cave system last year, the British and Australian governments worked to ensure that international divers would be protected from reprisals if anything went wrong on the risky mission.
The British team leading the rescue mission had decided that the boys would have to be sedated for the long journey through the narrow cave system, and therefore sought out the only three elite divers they knew who were also anesthesiologists, the BBC reported Monday.
One of those divers, Australian Richard Harris, told the BBC's "Beyond Today" podcast he was on the fence about joining the mission, but eventually signed on when he was told that the boys would die if he didn't step up.
But before he officially joined the team, he had the Australian government negotiate with the Thai government to ensure he would have immunity if anything went wrong.
The two other divers were British and American. British embassy officials ensured they would be protected, as well, according to the BBC.
Luckily, the mission was a success. After being given a mixture of ketamine, Xanax, and atropine, all 12 boys and their coach were ferried out of the cave system alive.
But the rescue wasn't without tragedy. After discovering the team deep within the cave, divers started swimming back and forth between them and the cave entrance, setting up the rescue mission and bringing much-needed supplies to those trapped.
It was while returning from a staging base in the cave that former Navy SEAL Saman Kunan lost consciousness and died.
Hear Harris tell the full story on BBC's "Beyond Today" podcast »
- Read more:
- The boys trapped in a Thai cave were given ketamine to stop them from panicking during their terrifying rescue
- The Thai soccer team that spent 17 days trapped in a flooded cave are set to sign a deal with Netflix about their dramatic rescue
- The Thai Wild Boars soccer team went on 'Ellen' and described how they survived for days on end in a cave — and revealed when they first realized they were trapped
- 4 of the 13 members of the Thai soccer team now want to be Navy SEALs when they grow up
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