Arco Colleague and Cave Rescuer Attends UK Screening of 'Thirteen Lives'

Arco Professional Safety Services' Equipment Manager, Mike Clayton, recently attended the UK screening of the movie: Thirteen Lives.

Directed by Ron Howard and starring Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell, the film recounts the obstacles that had to be overcome to rescue twelve boys and their coach from a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018.

The operation involved rescuers from across the globe, including Mike and a team of divers from the UK. The rescue was described as 'a miracle that united the world'.

Mike was invited to the screening along with Peter Dennis (Chair), Emma Porter (Secretary) and Toby Hamnet (Legal Advisor) from the British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC).

Mike said:

"I was delighted to be invited to the UK screening of Thirteen Lives.

"At the BCRC, we knew of the incident on the 23rd of June (the day the boys were trapped) and we immediately wanted to help. We began speaking to other cave rescue associations internationally to see if we could source equipment for the rescue response teams.

"An official request for help came via the British Foreign Office around the 25th of June. It was decided that me and two other surface support members would fly out on the 4th of July to assist.

"On the 5th of July we made it to Thailand and our time was spent doing all that we could to support the dive crew, including daily meetings with the various Thai and international authorities involved in the rescue.

"It was a tough time for all involved due to the complexity of the rescue and international attention, but 18 days after they were found, we were all relieved that the 12 boys and their coach were rescued safely.

"I am incredibly honoured to have been involved in one of the most challenging cave rescues in modern times and it was certainly a life changing event. The operation involved hundreds of rescuers from 17 countries, including a team of divers from the UK."

Thirteen Lives is out now and available to view on Amazon Prime Video.