Mae Sai (Thailand), Jul 2 (AP) Rescue divers are advancing in the main passageway inside the flooded cave in northern Thailand where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been missing more than a week.

Thai navy SEALs said in a Facebook post today that divers since last night had reached a bend where the kilometer- (half-mile-) long passage splits in two directions.

The boys, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach entered Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province on June 23. Heavy rains that flooded key passages are believed to have trapped the soccer players and have thwarted their rescue.

The divers, supplied with rope and extra oxygen, are aiming for a sandy chamber on higher ground in the cave, where they hope the 13 were able to stay dry. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)