The Great Cave Rescue

First came the awful news that 12 Thai boys and their young coach were missing. Then came the flickering video of the boys found by a pair of British divers nine days later. Monsoon rains had raised the water level in the cave system, and the boys were trapped in an air pocket, surrounded by rising muddy water, over two kilometers from the cave entrance. Expert British, Australian, American, Chinese, and other international divers joined the Thai Navy SEALs and hundreds of local volunteers to mount one of the most risky and complex rescue operations the world has ever seen. Massola recreates the drama, tension, and inspiration of the days in July 2018 when the eyes of the whole world were trained on a remote Thai mountain.

James Massola is South-east Asia correspondent for Fairfax Media. He was previously chief political correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age. He is the winner of a Quill award for investigative journalism and was on the ground at Tham Luang cave for the rescue operation.