Thai Cave Rescue Site to Become Museum

Rescuers who pulled a young Thai football team from deep inside a flooded cave were dismantling their worksite on Thursday, as plans emerged to turn the spot into a museum in tribute to the daring operation. Workers were on Thursday packing up the industrial water pumps, heavy-grade machinery and construction equipment at the mouth of the Tham Luang cave, which had been a high-tech command center during the 18-day ordeal.

Rescue chief Narongsak Osottanakorn told reporters the site would ultimately be converted into a museum showcasing the clothes and equipment used during the dramatic rescue, AFP reported.

 Another Highlight

"I believe it will become another highlight in Thailand," he said. "Tourists will come visit."

The rescue of the "Wild Boars" team was still being celebrated in Thailand as the 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach recovered in a local hospital.

The Nation newspaper called the operation a "Triumph of global cooperation" on its front page on Thursday while the Bangkok Post published a collage of images of those involved under the heading "You Are Heroes."

The saga started on June 23 when the players walked into the Tham Luang cave complex after football practice and were trapped when monsoon flooding blocked their exit.

Nine days later British divers found the disheveled and hungry group perched on a ledge four kilometers inside the cave.

Over the following week, experts from around the world descended on northern Thailand and rescuers pumped out more than 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools-worth of water.

A huge media pack of more than 1,000 journalists gathered at the mouth of the cave feeding audiences all over the globe with every twist and turn of the dramatic rescue until its joyful conclusion on Tuesday.

The huge international interest in the story sparked immediate talk of books and films.