BREAKING: Thai rescuers evacuate cave area, rescue bid for trapped boys seen imminent

Thai authorities on Sunday said they plan to evacuate an area around a cave in northern Thailand where a dozen boys and their soccer coach have been trapped so that a "rescue operation" can take place.

The announcement came as dark monsoon rainclouds loomed over the mountainous north of the country early on Sunday, potentially heightening risks at the cave where rescuers were still waging a "war with water and time" to save the 12 trapped boys and their assistant coach.

Earlier at the sprawling cave mouth, lines of frogmen and soldiers with flashlights could be seen emerging from the darkness, as generators chugged and pumped water out through plastic pipes.

Dozens of Royal Thai Army soldiers were seen resting on rocks outside the cave.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk tweeted that a team from his rocket company SpaceX in Los Angeles is building a mini-sub to help with the rescue.

"Got more great feedback from Thailand. Primary path is basically a tiny, kid-size submarine ... Light enough to be carried by 2 divers, small enough to get through narrow gaps. Extremely robust," Musk tweeted, adding that it would take eight hours to construct and 17 hours to transport to Thailand.

The Thai defence ministry said a team from a Musk firm with drilling and exploration know-how should reach the cave on Sunday.

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