Elon Musk is sending a team of engineers to Thailand to explore ways to help rescue a boys’ soccer team stuck in a cave.
The billionaire’s companies could assist by trying to pinpoint the boys’ precise location using Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Or Boring Co. Technology, pumping water or providing heavy-duty battery packs known as Tesla Powerwalls, a spokesman for Musk said earlier. It’s unclear whether Thai officials have accepted the offer.
Twelve boys and their coach, who had been missing since last month, were found by a pair of British cave divers late Monday. Efforts to rescue them are hampered by narrow passageways and rising waters in the cave system. Most of the boys cannot swim.
SpaceX & Boring Co engineers headed to Thailand tomorrow to see if we can be helpful to govt. There are probably many complexities that are hard to appreciate without being there in person.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 6, 2018
Last year, after a devastating hurricane hit Puerto Rico, the government there asked Musk for help. Tesla sent Powerwalls and provided advice on rebuilding the Caribbean island’s infrastructure. Over the past couple days, Musk posited possible ways his companies could help in Thailand. “I suspect that the Thai govt has this under control, but am happy to help if there is a way to do so,” he wrote on Twitter.
Musk’s tunneling startup Boring Co. Could potentially make available its massive drills or excavation expertise, but such an approach could be too dangerous for this mission.