Who are the British Thai cave divers and Navy SEALs and how many helped rescue the trapped boys?

THE operation to save 12 trapped Thai children stranded inside a cave was straight out of a Hollywood movie.

But who are the heroes - including British divers - who helped pull them to safety against the odds with a miraculous rescue plan? Here's all you need to know about them.

Who were the British divers who found the lost boys?

Two British divers were the first to discover the desperate lads trapped 2.5miles down the Tham Luang cave system in Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand.

The boys, from the Wild Boars football club, got lost during a visit to the notorious tunnel network with their coach on June 23.

It was not until July 2, nine days later, that a massive search operation to track down the missing team ended in joy; they were all found alive.

Brit scuba heroes Richard Stanton and John Volanthen made the euphoric discovery after bravely traversing the labyrinth of caverns and passages.

The divers are members of South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue team, one of 15 such emergency rescue groups in the UK.

They both have vast experience in complex cave rescues having both been drafted in to mount missions across the world.

In 2004, retired firefighter Richard, from Coventry, was involved in the heroic rescue of six Brits trapped in a cave in Mexico for more than a week.

Part of this daring recovery included convincing one trapped Brit who was scared of water to make a 600ft dive.

John, an IT consultant, joined Richard in 2010 when they were flown to France to try to rescue a missing climber.

The climber, Eric Establie, was tragically found dead 3,000ft from the entrance.

When they left Thailand, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith then shook their hands and said: "Consider it free tickets to Thailand, any time."

Tourism Minister Kowsoorad added: ''Absolutely''.

Speaking upon their return to the UK, the men insisted they were not heroes and had just used their skills to give back to the community.

They also expressed their relief when it was confirmed that all 12 boys and their coach had been safely rescued.

What other British Divers were involved in the rescue?

Robert Harper

Robert Harper, 70, is a cave diving expert who oversaw the mission to locate the lost boys.

He was thanked by Thai authorities and given a hero's send-off as he departed.

Sports minister Weerasak Kowsurat said he showed "dedication to duty and professionalism".

Chris Jewell

Chris Jewell is a member of the Cave Diving Group, Britain's oldest association of underground divers.

Jason Mallison

Mr Mallison is also a member of the Cave Diving Group.

He joined Mr Stanton and Mr Volanthen in 2010 when they broke the record for the longest ever cave dive - swimming 4.4miles.

Tim Acton

Tim Acton, 39, moved from his native Essex to run a holiday complex in Thailand with his wife, Took.

He was inside the cave system several times during the operation.

Who were the Navy SEALs that mounted the rescue?

Thailand's renowned Navy SEALs carried out the fraught mission to rescue the stricken team.

Over the course of three nerve-wracking days, the frogmen guided the team members outputting two divers with each boy.

In all, around 100 divers, medical personnel and support staff, plus hundreds of other volunteers, helped to carry out the rescue.

Tragically, one retired Navy SEAL lost his life trying to save the boys.

Saman Kunan, 38, ran out of oxygen on the six-hour journey back through the cave after delivering vital supplies.

How many boys were rescued?

All 12 boys were rescued by the divers.

Their football coach was also saved from the Thai caves.

The brave schoolboys had to swim through the dark and muddy waters of the flooded tunnel network in Chiang Rai with the help of the expert divers.

On July 12 the boys left hospital after posing for a photo in their football kit.