Tham Luang Nang Non és un complexe de [[Carst|coves càrstiques]] per sota de Doi Nang Non, una serralada a la frontera entre [[Tailàndia]] i [[Birmània]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=http://time.com/5327988/thailand-soccer-team-trapped-cave-rescue/ |title=Why It's So Hard to Rescue the Thai Team Trapped in a Cave |website=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |last=Solomon |first=Feliz |access-date=2 July 2018 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703040908/http://time.com/5327988/thailand-soccer-team-trapped-cave-rescue/ |archivedate=3 July 2018 |df= }}</ref> El sistema té 10 quilòmetres de llarg i té molts racons profunds, passos estrets i túnels sinuosos que s'estenen per sota de centenars de metres d'estrats de [[pedra calcària]]. Com que part del sistema de coves [[Estació humida|s'inundada estacionalment]], a l'entrada hi ha un senyal que aconsella no entrar-hi coves durant la temporada de pluges (juliol-novembre).<ref>[https://www.dispatchlive.co.za/news/2018-07-03-watch--agonising-rescue-ahead-for-thai-cave-boys-as-nation-rejoices/ Dispatch Live: WATCH | Agonising rescue ahead for Thai cave boys as nation rejoices] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703140012/https://www.dispatchlive.co.za/news/2018-07-03-watch--agonising-rescue-ahead-for-thai-cave-boys-as-nation-rejoices/ |date=3 July 2018 }}</ref> Aparentment, el grup va quedar encallat en els túnels foscos per un flux sobtat i continu després que entréssin a la cova.<ref name = "cnn-20180703">{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/02/asia/thai-cave-rescue-intl/index.html|title=Thai cave rescue: Soccer team found alive one kilometer underground|author1-first=Kocha|author1-last=Olarn|author2-first=Lauren|author2-last=Said-Moorhouse|date=3 July 2018|accessdate=3 July 2018|website=edition.cnn.com|publisher=CNN|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703030435/https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/02/asia/thai-cave-rescue-intl/index.html|archivedate=3 July 2018|df=}}</ref> Un [[guardabosc]] va alertar a les autoritats sobre els nois desapareguts després de veure les seves pertinences a l'entrada de la cova.
Els bussos militars van buscar la cova; un d'ells va dir que l'aigua era tan tèrbola que, fins i tot amb llums, no podien veure on anaven per sota l'aigua.<ref name=WashPost_Flooding/> A causa de la pluja contínua, que va inundar encara més l'entrada de la cova, la recerca va haver de ser interrompuda periòdicament.<ref name=WashPost_Flooding>{{cite web|url=https:WeatherChannel//www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/power-line-put-in-thai-cave-to-help-search-for-missing-boys/2018/06/25/8cb52abc-78d8-11e8-ac4e-421ef7165923_story.html|title=Flooding complicates cave search for Thai soccer team|first=Tassanee|last=Vejpongsa |agency=[[ Associated Press|AP]]|date=26 June 2018|publisher=''[[The Washington Post]]'' |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626035026/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/power-line-put-in-thai-cave-to-help-search-for-missing-boys/2018/06/25/8cb52abc-78d8-11e8-ac4e-421ef7165923_story.html|archivedate=26 June 2018|df=}}</ref> Després de quatre dies, a aquests militars se'ls va unir un grup de 30 britànics i estatunidencs experts en rescat de coves.<ref name=Telegraph_BritDivers>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/28/british-divers-join-rescue-effort-thai-cave-football-team/|title=British divers join rescue effort at Thai cave for football team|author=Telegraph Foreign Staff|date=28 June 2018|publisher=''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''|accessdate=2 July 2018|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630002817/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/28/british-divers-join-rescue-effort-thai-cave-football-team/|archivedate=30 June 2018|df=}}</ref>
Els 12 nois i l'entrenador van ser localitzats per Richard Stanton i John Volanthen el 2 de juliol de 2018, uns 400 metres més enllà de la cambra "Platja de Pattaya".<ref name="bbc_alive>{{cite" web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44688909|title=Missing Thai boys 'found alive' in caves|date=2 July 2018|website=[[BBC News]]|accessdate=2 July 2018|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702180939/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44688909|archivedate=2 July 2018|df=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/03/british-divers-at-heart-of-thai-cave-rescue-among-best-in-world|title=British divers at heart of Thai cave rescue among best in world|last=Roy|first=Eleanor Ainge|date=3 July 2018|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=3 July 2018|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703052710/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/03/british-divers-at-heart-of-thai-cave-rescue-among-best-in-world|archivedate=3 July 2018|df=}}</ref> Volanthen estava posant guies a la cova per assistir posteriorment a altres en la navegació; es va quedar sense fil, cosa que el va portar a nedar a la superfície, on va trobar el grup desaparegut.<ref name="Paddock 2018">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/world/asia/thai-cave-rescue-soccer-team.html|title=Thailand Cave Rescue Turns to How to Extract Trapped Soccer Team|author1=Richard C. Paddock|author2=Muktita Suhartono|date=3 July 2018|website=The New York Times|publisher=The New York Times Company|access-date=4 July 2018|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703190646/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/world/asia/thai-cave-rescue-soccer-team.html|archivedate=3 July 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> La plataforma on eren és a uns 4 quilòmetres de la boca de la cova.<ref name = "reuters-20180703">{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-accident-cave/found-alive-on-10th-day-thai-boys-cave-ordeal-not-over-idUSKBN1JT059|title=Found alive on 10th day, Thai boys' cave ordeal not over|author-first=Panu|author-last=Wongcha-um|date=3 July 2018|accessdate=3 July 2018|website=reuters.com|publisher=Reuters|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703034824/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-accident-cave/found-alive-on-10th-day-thai-boys-cave-ordeal-not-over-idUSKBN1JT059|archivedate=3 July 2018|df=}}</ref>
Al dia següent set bussos, incloent-hi personal mèdic i sanitari, es van unir al grup dins de les coves. Els funcionaris tailandesos van dir als periodistes que els rescatadors van proporcionar controls i tractaments mèdics i van mantenir els nois entretinguts, afegint que cap de les persones atrapades es trobava en estat greu. "S'han alimentat amb un aliment fàcil de digestiurir i altament energètic amb vitamines i minerals, sota la supervisió d'un metge". Es creu que molts del grups no saben nedar, cosa que complica un rescat ja de per si difícil.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44692813/ BBC News | Thailand cave: Medics reach boys as rescuers weigh options] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703193928/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44692813 |date=3 July 2018 }}</ref>
