There had been no contact with the boys, aged between 11 and 16, since they went missing with their 25-year-old coach last Saturday.
The massive rescue effort had for days been hampered by heavy rains that flooded the Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand, blocking access to chambers where it was hoped the group would be found alive.
But late Monday Chiang Rai provincial governor broke the news of their rescue by naval divers, delighting a nation which has anxiously followed every twist and turn of the dramatic effort to save them.
“We found all 13 safe... we will take care of them until they can move,” Narongsak Osottanakorn told reporters, who broke into spontaneous applause and cheering. “We will bring food to them and a doctor who can dive. I am not sure they can eat as they have not eaten for a while.”
The condition of the group was not immediately clear after days underground. But overjoyed relatives who had clustered near the cave in an increasingly desperate vigil hugged and smiled as news of the miracle rescue filtered back.
“I’m so glad... I want to him to be physically and mentally fit,” said Tinnakorn Boonpiem, whose 12-year-old son Mongkol is among the 13. “I found out from the television... I’m so happy I can’t put it into words,” another relative of one of one of the group told television reporters with tears of joy streaming down his cheeks.
Earlier Monday divers took advantage of a brief window of good weather to edge further into the cave, with the water levels dropping slowly but steadily every hour thanks to round-the-clock pumping.
They had hoped to find the “Wild Boar” team on an elevated ledge dubbed “Pattaya beach”. But the boys had retreated 300-400 metres further as the ledge was submerged, Governor Narongsak added.
The team’s travails appear far from over with a complex operation predicted to try to bring the group several kilometres through the cave - which is still partially submerged and is linked by tight passages.
Loved ones, friends and teachers of the “Wild Boar” football team refused to give up hope of seeing the young players again. Scores of divers - including foreign experts - have been sent into the cave with hundreds of oxygen tanks, establishing a base camp inside the chambers over the weekend.
Thailand has been a nation transfixed by the plight of the “Wild Boar” team, with social media lighting up in support of the group and the country’s deeply spiritual reflexes stirred into action.
Shamans and Buddhist monks have held prayers and given offerings at the cave imploring mountain “spirits” to return the boys safely.
The football team went into the cave on June 23 after a training session and became stranded when heavy rains cut them off from the entrance.
Rescuers found their bicycles, football boots and backpacks near the cave’s entrance and discovered handprints and footprints further in.
At 10 kilometres long, Tham Luang cave is one of Thailand’s longest and one of the toughest to navigate, with its snaking chambers and narrow passageways.
A sign outside the site warns visitors not to enter the cave during the rainy season between July and November.
The boys were found around two kilometers (1.24 miles) into the cave and somewhere between 800 meters to one kilometer below the surface, according to a British Cave Rescue Council briefing note.
The briefing warns, however, that the danger has not abated. While Monday was relatively dry, by Tuesday the rains had started to steadily fall once again and while huge pumps are working overtime to bring the water levels down in the cave complex, any downpour could potentially set back efforts to bring the children out safely.
Amid the emotional discovery, Osottanakorn warned that the mission is "not done yet" and medical experts need to enter the cave to assess the boys.
"We will drain all water out from the cave then we will take all 13 people out of the cave. We are now planning how to send (a) nurse and doctor inside the cave to check their health and movement. We will work all night," he said.
Capt. Akanand Surawan, a commander with the Royal Thai Navy said additional divers will accompany the doctor and nurse. Rescuers will also pump air into the cave to improve conditions.
The next phase of the operation involves supplying the team with four months' worth of food and teaching thePat Moret, a rescue consultant, said the team will likely need a lot of medical treatment before they can be moved.
"They'll need fluids replacing (and) possibly feeding. They're going to need reheating. They've possibly been lying still for days now. And sensory faculties won't be what they should be. So I would think that they're not really fit to move for maybe 12 hours or so really."
Even after that, the kids and their coach may need to dive to get out of the cave, Moret added.
"Worst case scenario is that they have to dive them out. So they're being fully immersed in water, wearing what we know is a full face mask or maybe even some sort of commercial dive helmet to make it a little less stressful for them. But it will be a truly terrifying experience," Moret said.
Outpouring of relief
Thais across the country, who have been following every twist of the nine-day long saga, reacted to Monday night's news with joy and relief. boys how to dive, Surawan said.Thai Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, said he was delighted with the news, according to Thai state media.
In an article published in the National News Bureau of Thailand, the Prime Minister thanks the army, police, volunteers, the general public and the media for working together and making the rescue operation a success.
"This incident has shown the unity of the Thai people... Today is a good day for all Thai people, including the families of the children," Prayut said.
A park officer first sounded the alarm on June 23 after spotting the boys' bicycles near the entrance to the off-limits cave complex.
The cave is popular with tourists who venture into the cavernous entrance, however the tunnels narrow to the point that it's only possible to crawl through them. The tunnels open into wider chambers, and it's in one of those chambers that the boys were found.
