Thai team found, but can't flee cave yet

The missing youth soccer team from Thailand found alive late on Monday night after being trapped for 10 days may need to wait a few more days before they can be rescued from a cave due to the unpredictable terrain and bad weather, a member of the Chinese rescue team said.

Divers struggled through narrow passages and murky waters to find the 12 boys and their coach on an elevated rock about 4 kilometers in from the mouth of the cave. The rock was surrounded by deep water, Reuters said.

Video from rescuers showed the boys were sitting or standing on the rock with their red or blue shirts. They were weak, but in good condition.

Teams from Britain, the United States, China, Australia, Japan, Laos and Myanmar joined in the search and rescue operation.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Tuesday that China is gratified to see significant progress in the search and rescue operation.

The spontaneous participation of a Chinese private rescue team has further demonstrated that "China and Thailand are kith and kin", Lu said.