Slovak Firefighters Offer High-capacity Pumps to Get Thai Boys Out of Cave

Bratislava, July 7 (TASR) – Slovakia’s Fire and Rescue Corps on Saturday offered high-capacity pumps to help in effort to rescue members of a youth football team who have been trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand since June 23.

“Ordinary pumps can draw 3,000 litres of water per minute. Meanwhile, high-capacity pumps are able to draw as much as 60,000 litres per minute on short range (up to 150 metres). They’re still able to pump 3,000-9,000 litres of water per minute on longer distances,” said Fire and Rescue Corps spokesperson Zuzana Farkasova, adding that Slovak firefighters have eight such pumps, which can work even for weeks without interruption.

The high-capacity pumps, in Slovakia usually used in tackling floods and major fires, can draw water containing dirt as large as 40 millimetres, added Farkasova.

Heavy rain was expected to hit the area of the cave in Mae Sai, northern Thailand during the weekend, creating urgency to get the boys and their coach out as soon as possible.