8th boy of football team trapped in Thai cave rescued: witness

CHIANG RAI, Thailand - The eighth boy emerged Monday evening from a flooded cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach were trapped for more than two weeks, a witness told Xinhua.

The witness near the cave in northern Thailand's Chiang Rai said two ambulances leave the cave site.

Roaring helicopters are seen overhead in the media center near the cave.

The rescue operation for the football team resumed at about 11:00 am local time on Monday after a break to replenish oxygen supplies and make other preparations deep inside the cave complex.

Four boys were extracted from the cave on Sunday night.

Thirteen foreign divers and five members of Thailand's elite navy SEAL unit on Sunday made up the main team diving the boys to safety through narrow, submerged passageways that claimed the life of a former Thai navy diver on Friday.

The 12 boys, aged between 11 and 16, and their coach have been trapped in the cave since June 23. They were found when the search, joined by more than 1,000 rescuers, entered the ninth day.

Reports said FIFA President Gianni Infantino had invited the trapped Thai boys' football team to the World Cup final, as messages of support poured in from top players.