The unprecedented mission to evacuate the "Wild Boar" football team and their coach from a flooded Thai cave entered its end game Tuesday as rescuers said they will guide the remaining four boys and their coach to freedom.
The last part of the complex operation, which has gripped Thailand and dominated global headlines, could put an end to the 18-day saga that started when the team entered the cave on June 23.
Here is a timeline of the efforts to find and free the group.
The youngsters, aged between 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old coach enter the Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand during heavy rains after football practice.
They are reported missing after the boys do not come home that night.
Sunday, June 24
Park officials and police find handprints and footprints believed to belong to the boys. Relatives start to keep vigil outside the cave.
Thai Navy SEAL divers enter the cave searching for the boys. Makeshift shrines are set up for parents to pray and make offerings as heavy rains continue.
The boys along with their football coach were exploring the cave when they got trapped in by floodwater
Tuesday, June 26
Divers are forced out of the cave by rushing floodwaters as they try to reach an air pocket called "Pattaya Beach", where the boys are believed to have retreated.
Wednesday, June 27
A team of more than 30 American military personnel from the US Pacific Command arrive and are joined by three British diving experts who start to probe the cave.
Downpours create fast-moving floods inside the cave forcing a suspension of the rescue. Water pumps start draining rising, murky floodwaters.
Friday, June 29
Thailand's junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha visits the site and urges relatives not to give up hope.
A break in the rain allows divers to reach further inside the cave but they are still a long distance from where the boys are believed to be.
Sunday, July 1
Divers inch further in, as an operating base is set up inside 'Chamber Three' and hundreds of air tanks and other supplies are pulleyed in.
The boys were discovered by British divers after being trapped for 9 days
Monday, July 2
Finally, a miracle: the 12 boys and their coach are found alive late Monday evening about 400 metres beyond Pattaya Beach by the British cave diving team.
Tuesday, July 3
Much-needed food and medical supplies -- including high-calorie gels and paracetamol -- reach the boys as rescuers prepare for the possibility that they may remain in the cave for some time.
Wednesday, July 4
Officials say the group are being taught how to use diving masks and breathing apparatuses. Teams pump out water around the clock to help clear the path for divers.
Thursday, July 5
Authorities say expected rains may force a complex rescue quicker than first thought.
Friday, July 6
Tragedy strikes: a diver helping to establish an air line to the boys dies after passing out while returning from the chamber, raising serious doubts over the safety of attempting a rescue.
Thailand's Navy SEAL commander says oxygen levels inside have dropped. He warns the window of opportunity to free the youngsters is "limited".
Saturday, July 7
Rescue operations chief Narongsak Osottanakorn says the boys are not ready to dive to safety.
A scrawled message emerges from the team's coach, offering his "apologies" to their parents, while in other touching notes the boys tell their relatives not to worry.
After the boys were located, they were able to communicate to their family through letters
Sunday, July 8
Divers lead four of the boys out of the cave as night falls, sending them to the hospital.
Narongsak says late in the evening that the rescue mission will not start again for at least another 10 hours to allow oxygen and other supplies to be replenished.
Monday, July 9
As dusk falls four more boys are rescued. The Thai Navy SEALs greet another seemingly successful day with a social media post saying "Hooyah".
Tuesday, July 10
The final phase of the operation begins with the rescue chief saying the remaining four boys and the coach, will be "extracted today" alongside three Thai Navy SEALs and doctor who have stayed with them.
Health officials say the eight rescued so far are in good physical and mental health but more tests are being carried out.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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