09 Jul Elon Musk Offers Up His Company’s Services To Help Trapped Thai Football Team

It’s a situation which few of us could contemplate: being trapped 800 meters underground, and despite the best efforts of rescuers from around the world, having no easy way out. But it’s a situation that is a horrifying reality for 12 Thai football players and their coach. The group went missing after exploring the Tham Luang Nang Non Cave in northern Chiang Rai province after a soccer game on June 23.

Unbeknownst to the group’s 25-year-old coach, Ekkapol Chantawong, they were exploring the cave during an extremely dangerous time of year – the raining season. This resulted in them becoming trapped deep within the cave when the water level rose as they were exploring. Despite being feared dead, they were eventually found alive and well after nine days by British divers John Volanthen and Rick Stanton.

However, the group’s ordeal is far from over and exiting the cave safely is proving to be a near-impossible task.

At first, it was believed that the only two options available to the group would be to wait for the water level to lower naturally – a process which could see them spending eight months underground – or learning how to dive themselves and swimming out of the cave.

But given that none of the boys are able to swim, and the route out is perilous even for the most experienced of divers, this could be a deadly road to take. That being said, the option of waiting it out is no longer a possibility either as the group is running out of oxygen.

With the eyes of the world firmly fixed upon the cave, people are trying to think of a way to save the group, and now Twitter users are reaching out to multi-billionaire inventor Elon Musk to see if he can lend his technological expertise to the situation.

“Hi sir, if possible can you assist in anyway [sic] to get the 12 Thailand boys and their coach out of the cave. @elonmusk,” wrote @MabzMagz.

Not wanting to ignore the possibility that he could help the situation, Musk replied to this tweet and offered up his company’s services, writing, “I suspect that the Thai govt has this under control, but I’m happy to help if there is a way to do so.”

“Thank you @ElonMusk,” @MabzMagz replied. “That is really all I ask. [That] you follow the updates on the situation and perhaps you may come up with something. Some of us can only pray, but you can do more. We know you are not Ironman (…right?). Cheers.”

The inventor then responded once again to @MabzMagz with a possible solution to the boys’ perilous situation, writing, “Boring Co has advanced ground penetrating rader & is pretty good at digging holes. Don’t know if pump rate is limited by electric power or pumps are too smal (sic). If so, could dropship fully charged Powerpacks and pumps.”

But pumping water out of the cave was not the only suggestion which Musk made for the rescue effort.

The inventor also came up with the novel idea of putting a nylon tube into the cave and inflating it “like a bouncy castle” to create an opening which all 1the boys and their coach could pass through. Although, given that the cave’s structure might be unstable, this does sound like a long shot.

“Maybe worth trying: insert a 1m diameter nylon tube (or shorter set of tubes for most difficult sections) through cave network & inflate with air like a bouncy castle. Should create an air tunnel underwater against cave roof & auto-conform to odd shapes like the 70cm hole,” Musk wrote.

A spokesman for The Boring Company expanded on what Musk wrote on Twitter, saying, “We are speaking with the Thai government to see how we can help, and we are sending SpaceX/Boring Company people from the US to Thailand today to offer support on the ground.”

“Once we confirm what exactly will be helpful to send or do, we will. We are getting feedback and guidance from the people on the ground in Chiang Rai to determine the best way for us to assist their efforts.”

To see the perilous route into the cave for yourself, check out the video below:

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We can only hope that Musk is able to help the situation as on Thursday it emerged that a Thai Navy Seal died while leaving oxygen in the cave to ensure the group’s survival – a chilling reminder that teaching them how to dive would be unlikely to work.

Thirty-eight-year-old Saman Kunan tragically died when he ran out of oxygen, Commander Arpakorn Yookongkaew revealed. At the time of his death at 2 am local time, Kunan had been trying to reach a command center 1.2miles inside the cave system.

He was discovered unconscious by a diving partner and despite his best efforts to revive him, passed away. He had been working as a volunteer.

To honor his sacrifice, the Thai king is sponsoring the former Navy Seal’s funeral and his body will be flown to his hometown in Roi Et.

The boys and their coach have been receiving diving lessons in the cave and experts have said they will not move them until it is safe to do so. However, they may be left with no option but to risk the perilous dive outside because their window for being rescued is “limited”.

“At first, we thought the children could stay for a long time… but now things have changed, we have a limited time,” Yookongkaew added, undeterred by Kunan’s death. ‘These accidents can happen sometimes to anyone in the field, but we will go ahead and keep working.”

In an interview with CNN, Cade Courtley, a former US Navy SEAL said that those who have reached the group have been “climbing up, climbing through, going (through water with) zero visibility to finally get through the team. Now you’re going to ask 11 to (16) year olds – some of whom cannot swim – to make that same journey for the first time breathing air underwater? I think that’s a terrible mistake given some of the options we have.”

We can only hope that a solution to the difficult situation is found soon and that all 12 boys and their coach are saved.

UPDATE: As of this writing (Monday 9, July), four of the boys have been successfully rescued and transported to a local medical facility. It is believed they selected the strongest swimmers from the group.

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