Elon Musk sends engineers to Thai cave rescue in the hope of creating tube so boys can crawl free

The race is on to rescue those trapped in a cave
Thai Navy SEALs via Getty Images
Sophie Williams6 July 2018

Elon Musk is sending engineers to assist in the Thailand cave rescue with the hope of creating a breathable 'tube' that will allow the boys to crawl free underwater.

A massive international rescue effort is underway to rescue the group of 12 boys and their football coach who have been stuck underground since June 23.

Mr Musk is the founder of Boring Company, a tunnel construction company and is also the CEO of Tesla and Space X.

He wants his engineers to insert a giant Nylon tube into the cave and inflate it so the boys can crawl to freedom.

The entrepreneur announced on Twitter: "SpaceX and BoringCo engineers headed to Thailand tomorrow to see if we can be helpful to govt. There are probably many complexities that are hard to appreciate without being there in person."

Elon Musk is sending some of his engineers to Thailand
Getty Images

According to CNN, the Thai government have confirmed that the engineers will arrive on Saturday.

A statement from the Thai government said: "Elon Musk will send his team to Thailand tomorrow to help in cave rescue. He may provide services for location tracking, water pumping or battery power."

On his twitter account, Mr Musk said that his company had advanced ground penetrating radar and suggested that they could insert a nylon tube to help the boys escape.

The British Cave Rescue Council estimated that the boys are around 1.2 miles into the cave and just over half a mile below the surface however other estimates have put the boys as far as 2.5 miles into the cave.

The boys, aged between 11 and 16, were discovered on Monday after they had been missing for nine days.

On Friday, a former SEAL died while diving in the flooded passageway to deliver supplies.

Thailand Cave Rescue - In pictures

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According to authorities, oxygen levels inside the cave are decreasing because of the amount of workers inside.

Rescuers are now trying to run an oxygen line inside in addition to oxygen canisters delivered by divers.

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