BANGKOK, July 5. /TASS/. Twelve schoolchildren and football team members and their coach, who have been discovered in a partially flooded Tham Khao Luang Cave in Thailand, should be evacuated as soon as possible, Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) said, according to Bangkok Post.

"Instructions were given by the King that everyone [rescuers] must bring out the children as quickly as possible," Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon told the paper.

The authorities have not yet decided when the evacuation process should begin, and this depends on the water level in the cave. One of the possible solutions is to let the boys dive. Despite the rain, efforts are underway to pump out water, but it is reducing one centimeter per hour. All children are receiving food and medicines.

The rescuers earlier considered the option of reaching the boys from the cave’s ceiling. There are 13 potential holes and three of them have been drilled, and the deepest spot is 400 meters.

On June 23, national park employees discovered a motor bike, bicycles and sports equipment near an entrance to Tham Khao Luang Cave. They contacted the local football club, which confirmed to them that the discovered things belong to 12 schoolchildren aged from 11 to 16 and their 25-year-old coach. The cave stretches almost 10 km and has several entrances and exits, as well as large galleries in which the missing people could have hidden from the rising waters.

Russia’s Emergencies Ministry earlier said it was ready to provide assistance to the Thai rescuers should the authorities send an official request.