Rescuers in Thailand this morning freed at least three more members of the boys’ soccer team stranded in a flooded cave complex, marking the start of the second phase of a desperate rescue operation that aims to save five more kids and the team’s coach before heavy rains imperil the effort.

An ambulance with lights flashing was spotted leaving the area as a Thai Navy official said three boys were pulled from the cave, with plans to rescue an additional boy later today.

The newest set of rescues came about six hours after Chiang Rai acting Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said the second phase was underway.

“All conditions are still as good as they were yesterday,” Narongsak told a news conference. “The boys’ strength, the plan — today we are ready like before. And we will do it faster because we are afraid of the rain.”

Thai navy SEALs said yesterday they successfully retrieved four members of the youth soccer team from the cave where they had been trapped for more than two weeks.

Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda said early today the same group of expert divers who took part in Sunday’s rescue would return to extricate the others because they know the cave conditions and what to do. He said fresh air tanks needed to be laid along the underwater route.

Reuters reported the boys’ conditions were “not bad” but will continue to be monitored.

“This morning they said they were hungry and wanted to eat khao pad grapao,” Narongsak said referring to a Thai dish of meat fried with chili and basil and served over rice.

It was not immediately clear today how the overnight rains had affected water levels inside the flooded cave. Officials have said storms forecast for Chiang Rai province in Thailand’s far north had factored into their decision to go ahead with a complicated and dangerous plan to have the boys and their coach dive out of the cave.

Narongsak previously said experts told him flooding from new rain could shrink the unflooded space where the boys are sheltering to just 108 square feet.

“I confirm that we are at war with water and time from the first day up to today,” he said. “Finding the boys doesn’t mean we’ve finished our mission. It is only a small battle we’ve won, but the war has not ended. The war ends when we win all three battles — the battles to search, rescue and send them home.”

The death Friday of a former Thai navy SEAL underscored the risks. The diver, the first fatality of the rescue effort, was working in a volunteer capacity and died on a mission to place air canisters along the passage to where the boys are, a necessary task in order for divers to safely travel the five- to six-hour route.

Authorities spent hours replenishing air tanks along the cave’s treacherous exit route. They say rescuing the remaining boys and their coach could take up to four days.

Trips from the entrance to where the team is trapped and back to the entrance take about 11 hours and include walking, wading, climbing and diving. There is reportedly a guide rope in place. Two divers will accompany each boy as they are gradually extracted.

An international team of expert divers—90 in all, 40 from Thailand and 50 from overseas—have been working in the area.

The stranded boys, members of the Wild Boars soccer team, have been invited to the World Cup Final in Moscow if they make it out in time and can physically handle the trip.