Scenes of jubilation as missing Thai boys and soccer coach found alive after 9 days in cave

Twelve boys and their soccer coach have been found alive after being trapped in a cave complex in Thailand for nine days.

The boys, aged between 11 and 16, were found alive in the Tham Luang caves in Chian Rai after a marathon search by international rescue teams.

British divers found them 400 metres away from where they’d hoped they were, after the team moved to higher ground to stay away from rising flood waters.

Reuters journalist Panu Wongcha-um crossed to Justin and Kate from Thailand.

“It’s a been a long night after the discovery and the joyful, and jubilation of this incredible piece of news,” he said.

“We are waiting now to hear from the medical staff that went into the cave to look at the 12 boys and their coach,  to see what is an assessment of their health conditions and of course we’ll have to hear how the rescuers will bring the 13 people out of the cave.”

He said the rescuers will be working to establish how to extract the boys safely.

“It could be more than a day before any kind of rescue can take place,” he said.

Click PLAY to hear more from journalist Panu Wongcha-um in Chian Rai

Click PLAY to to watch the video of the moment authorities located the team