Thai cave soccer team were 'unlucky' not 'reckless', says Shropshire rescuer

Mr Clayton, from Hampton Loade, near Bridgnorth, said they were unfortunate to be caught out by the heavy rain in June which flooded the cave and left them trapped for 17 days.

Speaking at a Shropshire Chamber networking event at Shrewsbury Town Football Club on Thursday, Mr Clayton said heavy rain usually falls during the country's monsoon season between July and November.

He also admitted before entering the cave the team of rescuers had not expected to find any of the group alive.

Mr Clayton, who is chairman of Midlands Cave Rescue Organisation, received the call to go out to Thailand’s Chian Rai province within hours of the discovery that the boys and their 25-year-old coach were safe and well in the underground cave network.

His partner Emma Porter, who is the secretary of British Cave Rescue Council, had already been providing administrative support for the rescue operation in this country.

He said: "They were not reckless – they were unlucky. Some of them had been in the cave before and they were in there for some fun.

"The monsoon season starts in early July and runs to November. The heavy rain came a couple of weeks early. They had to go further into the cave to get away from the rising water."

Mr Clayton, who is equipment officer for British Cave Rescue Council, was a support worker during the operation at Luang Nang Non cave.

The boys, who entered the cave on June 23, became trapped after the rising water blocked their way out.

On July 2, Rick Stanton and fellow diver John Volanthen found the group alive on an elevated rock about 2.5 miles from the cave mouth

Mr Clayton said: "We thought there would be deaths and we were pretty sure we would find 13 dead bodies. When we discovered them alive we hoped to get 50 per cent out alive, but to get everyone out was fantastic.

"This type of rescue had never been attempted before."

A team of 90 expert divers – 40 from Thailand and 50 from overseas – worked in the caves.

The boys were given club drug ketamine to stop them from panicking while they were rescued.

The divers guided the boys and their coach through darkness and submerged passageways towards the mouth of the cave system.

Mr Clayton said: "The Thai authorities wanted zero risk which we couldn't guarantee them. They wanted to leave them there until the water had gone down, saying they were alive and appeared strong. But we told them that might not happen until December. That's when we thought about using ketamine."

Their plight and the massive, dangerous three-day-long operation to free them gripped the world's attention.

Since returning home Mr Clayton has met Theresa May and Prince William, and is also due to attend a reception at the House of Parliament with MPs.