Elon Musk Tests Submarine to Rescue Boys in Thai Cave (Video)

Days after the plight of a soccer team trapped in a cave in Thailand captured the world’s attention, Elon Musk and his engineering team have developed a “kid-sized” submarine to evacuate the remaining children from their flooded cave.

Musk tweeted a video of the submarine being tested, writing, “Simulating maneuvering through a narrow passage.” He wrote that the submarine was en route to Thailand and would be delivered in 17 hours, adding, “hopefully useful. If not, perhaps it will be in a future situation.”

Twenty-three hours have passed since that tweet, meaning that the submarine has most likely arrived in Thailand, though it is not clear if the Thai government will employ Musk’s handiwork as it works to rescue the remaining boys from the cave.

Also Read: Thailand Cave Rescue on Pause After 4 Kids Are Saved

Musk and his team created the submarine based on feedback from cave experts in Thailand, and Musk wrote on Saturday they developed “a tiny, kid-size submarine using the liquid oxygen transfer tube of Falcon rocket as hull. Light enough to be carried by 2 divers, small enough to get through narrow gaps.”

The story of the trapped boys has drawn significant media coverage from around the world since they were discovered in a flooded cave last week, and the rescue mission began on Sunday morning, with eight people safely out of the cave and five remaining as of Monday afternoon.

Soon after the boys’ location was discovered on July 2, Musk shared ideas for a rescue mission and later announced that his engineers from Boring Company and Space X were en route to help with the rescue mission.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Thailand Cave Rescue on Pause After 4 Kids Are Saved