A Dozen boys and their football coach trapped in a Thai cave are alive, but will need to learn to dive or wait months for flooding to recede before they can get out, the army says.

The group had been missing for nine days before they were found by divers late on Monday on a small dry ledge.

Rescuers are now battling rising water to bring more supplies to the group.

They may need to have food sent in for at least the next four months, according to the military.

Attempts were being made to install power and telephone lines inside the cave to let the boys speak with their parents, Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakon said.
How were they found?

Two British rescuer divers who had flown over to join the search operation found the boys on Monday night.

The video of that first contact was posted on Facebook by Thai Navy SEAL special forces.

The boys are seen by torchlight sitting on a ledge above water, responding to the divers that all 13 were there and that they were very hungry.

Attempts to pump the water levels lower have so far not been successful.

If they are to wait until the water recedes by itself, it would mean the boys will have to stay in the cave for months and have to be continuously supplied with food and assistance.

Specially trained doctors will go in to carry out medical checks in the coming days to establish their condition and treat possible injuries.

BBC South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head, who is at the scene, said the Thai military has a few doctors with the diving skills required to reach them.

"But even when they recover their strength, pulling them back through miles of partly flooded tunnels will be a daunting challenge. And the rainy season has just started here - water levels will rise," he said.

Other teams are still scouring the mountainside in the hope of finding another way in to the cave.