A severe flood has hampered efforts to rescue a young football team who have been trapped in a cave in Thailand for four days.
Twelve players and their coach have been stuck in the depths of the cave complex since entering it after a practice match.
Heavy rainfall has caused muddy water to rise to the ceiling of one of the chambers, preventing divers from reaching the cave where they believe the team are sheltering.
There has been no contact with the boys, aged 11-16, or their 25-year-old coach since they entered the Tham Luang Nang Non cave on Saturday.
Chiang Rai governor Narongsak Osatanakorn said: "We tried to pump the water (out of the chamber) but the water keeps rising. That means the water that comes in with the rain is still much more than what we can pump out. So we need to pump the water faster."
He said teams continued to look for another way in to the blocked portions of the cave by searching for any shafts that might be accessible on the surface of the mountain, under which the cave sits.
Despite setbacks, officials remained publicly optimistic about the prospects for a successful rescue.
"We still have hope. All agencies are trying their best. We have a challenge from the water level that keep rising," said Thai army Chief General Chalermchai Sittisart. "We are adding more pumps to lower the level down so that the Seal team could operate better."
Authorities have said footprints and handprints were found inside the cave complex, as well as other items thought to belong to the boys.
They said that tourists trapped there by past floods have been rescued after the waters receded.
The cave, cut into a mountainside near the border with Burma, can flood severely during the rainy season, which runs from June to October.
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