Divers rescue more boys from flooded Thailand cave, raising total saved to eight, while four boys and coach remain trapped

MAE SAI, Thailand - Elite divers Monday rescued four more boys out of a group of 12 Thai soccer players trapped with their coach in a flooded cave system on northern Thailand, bringing the total saved to eight, authorities said.

The perilous mission involved diving in arduous conditions in fast-flowing waters, at times passing through jagged, dangerously narrow tunnels. The first of the four boys rescued Monday emerged shortly before 5 p.m. local time. The boys were transferred to a hospital by ambulance and helicopter, and all were considered safe, according to authorities.

The first four boys rescued Sunday after being trapped for more than two weeks on a narrow ledge in the Tham Luang Nang Non Cave in Chiang Rai province, were "happy and healthy" and had eaten meals, the head of the rescue