Cave rescue: Operation resumes to bring out boys 09 July 2018 Asia Share this with Email Share this with Facebook Share this with Twitter Share this with Whatsapp There were cheers and applause as the first boys' rescue was confirmed Image caption There were cheers and applause as the first boys' rescue was confirmed Cave divers in Thailand have resumed the high-risk operation to extract the remaining eight boys and their football coach from a vast flooded cave system, the head of the mission has said. Four boys were brought safely out of the cave on Sunday. But the mission was paused overnight for air tanks to be replaced. The boys became trapped in the cave on 23 June after heavy rains caused flooding, but were found alive last week by divers. Rescuers decided to go ahead with the hazardous operation to free them because of fears that waters would rise again. Rescue mission chief Narongsak Osottanakorn said it had resumed, with divers re-entering the cave at 11:00 local time (04:00 GMT). It was expected to end by 21:00, he said. "More personnel" were being used than on Sunday. The names of the rescued boys have not been released out of respect for the families whose sons were still inside, and they have not been reunited with their own families, he added. Live updates on the rescue operation How risky is the Thai boys rescue? The operation in pictures There had been concerns that heavy rain on Sunday and overnight might have raised water levels making the rescue more difficult. But Mr Narongsak said: "The weather conditions and other environments today are as good as yesterday. We should hear good news again." The BBC's Jonathan Head says this is a tightly controlled operation, and the identities of the boys who got out are being kept secret - it is not clear whether even their families have been told. Rescuers took advantage of a break in the rain on Sunday to launch the mission earlier than some expected. The first stage of the mission ran "smoothly" and the rescued boys were in "good health", according to the Thai authorities. On Saturday, Mr Narongsak said that teams had a three to four-day window to carry out their operation. How are the boys being moved? A team of 90 expert divers - 40 from Thailand and 50 from overseas - has been working in the cave system. They have been guiding the boys through darkness and submerged passageways towards the mouth of the Tham Luang cave system.