Some of the four boys rescued on Sunday had asked for a Thai basil stir-fry dish called Pad Krapao. Usually made with pork or chicken, and topped with a crispy fried egg, it's a delicious comfort food.

Unfortunately, that demand will have to wait, as authorities say the boys' digestive systems need to recover from the ten days they spent without food until they were found by rescuers.

For the eight boys now out of the cave, it will be rice porridge on the menu for the time being.

Speaking to reporters, rescue mission chief Narongsak Osottanakorn said Monday's rescue took nine hours - two hours faster than efforts on Sunday.

He said that 18 international divers were involved.

Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha also visited the cave on Monday to offer moral support. He spoke with international divers, rescue workers and volunteers.

Mr Narongsak said the prime minster told those at the site that he "wanted everyone to take this as a lesson".

The Thai Navy Seals leading the rescue operation say the four boys removed from the complex today are now safe and being treated in hospital, Reuters news agency reports.

They add that the health of the remaining five people trapped is "good".

The operation so far, they say, has gone smoothly, but the next phase "will depend on conditions".

Four boys and their football coach remain inside the caves in northern Thailand after becoming trapped by flooding following heavy rains on 23 June.

Eight boys are now confirmed to have been rescued on the second day of a complex operation filled with risk.

As night falls at the caves near the town of Chiang Rai, read our full coverage on how the operation has been executed so far, and how the rescuers - and the young boys - have been combating the issues posed by a tricky system of caverns and crevices.

• Full story: Boys rescued by Thai Navy divers
• Analysis: How risky is the Thai boys rescue?
• Who are the Thai boys trapped in a cave?

Image source, Getty Images

Onlookers watch and cheer as ambulances transport a number of the rescued schoolboys from a helipad to a hospital.

Image source, Getty Images

Military police secure the road for a large convoy of official vehicles entering the Tham Luang cave area.

Image source, Reuters

A military helicopter carrying rescued schoolboys approaches to land at a military airport in Chiang Rai.

For more pictures of the dramatic mission captivating Thailand and the world, click here.

According to the BBC weather team, the coming week will bring tropical showers and sporadic thunderstorms to the region around the cave.

Fairly heavy showers are expected until Thursday, likely followed by heavier rains at the end of the week.

Any rainfall could add further risks to an already dangerous and complex rescue operation.

The offer reportedly still stands for the boys to attend the World Cup final in Russia after Fifa president Gianni Infantino invited them on Friday.

In a letter to the Thai Football Association, Infantino offered "deepest sympathies and support" for the young team, adding that if they were rescued in time and were healthy enough to travel, it would "undoubtedly be a wonderful moment of communion and celebration" for them to enjoy.

Image source, Reuters

Pupils at the Mae Sai Prasitsart school, which some of the boys attend, react when their teacher on Sunday tells them that some of their friends have been rescued. They've been praying the rescue mission will go as planned and bring all the trapped boys to safety.

Image source, Reuters

Earlier, schoolchildren in the Indian city of Ahmedabad (below) held a event to pray for the safe rescue of the young football players and their coach. They held up placards and pictures to show their support.

Image source, Getty Images

After hours of unconfirmed reports from sources within the rescue mission, the Thai Navy Seals have just confirmed that eight boys are out - with four being evacuated from the cave complex today.

In a Facebook post they listed eight boys, referring to them as "boars" because of the name of their football team - the Wild Boars.

If you've just joined us, here's an update of what has happened on the second day of the rescue mission.

• Efforts resumed at 11:00 local time (04:00 GMT) on Monday and involved "more personnel" than Sunday's effort. Thirteen foreign divers and five Thai Navy Seals have been guiding the boys out of the cave system
• A source has confirmed to the BBC that four more boys have been brought out of the cave complex today
• BBC teams have seen helicopters leaving the cave and ambulances arriving at the hospital in nearby Chiang Rai
• The Thai Navy is yet to confirm the details of the rescues and a press conference is expected later
• The first four boys rescued from the cave on Sunday are in hospital and reported to be in good health, but have not been named
• They are being kept in isolation at the hospital to avoid the risk of infection

• Heavy rains which occurred overnight added to fears for the boys' safety, but did not affect the water levels inside the cave, according to authorities

Read our full report here.

We have more details from a source inside the rescue operation.

• The four people rescued today were all boys
• That means that their 25-year-old coach remains inside the cave system
• The four boys were said to be cold but otherwise in a good condition
• Rescuers said they plan to bring out the remaining four boys and the coach on Tuesday

Rescue efforts at the Tham Luang cave system have continued to capture the attention of Thailand - and the world - today.

Here are some pictures from the scene as the second phase of the mission takes place.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, EPA

Image source, AFP

A source in the rescue operation has confirmed to the BBC's Jonathan Head that four evacuees have been safely taken out of the caves today.

Eight boys and their coach were still inside the cave system as rescue operations got under way on Monday.

Rescuers plan to bring out the remaining four boys and their coach on Tuesday.

The BBC's Jonathan Head, who is at the cave site, has seen signs of more rescues.

Thai officials are not confirming this morning's reported rescues as they happen, but eyewitnesses have told media at the scene that four boys have so far been brought out on Monday, taking the total number of rescues up to eight.

Reports earlier on Monday said a group had been brought up to a staging area inside the cave, waiting to be brought out one by one to ambulances.

The expert divers involved in the rescue operation will be doing the majority of the work for the boys as they come out of the cave system, Peter Dennis, from the British Cave Rescue Council, told the BBC.

The boys would remain largely passive as they were guided through the cave system, he said.

"There's been a lot of comment on them needing to learn to dive before they could come out. Well, that isn't the case. They're just essentially being pulled through the water," he said.

"They have their full face mask and their air supply so they can breathe as normal. They have an air supply around their face over this much larger screened mask and that's been the key really to getting the four out successfully yesterday."

Mr Dennis also said he thought the boys would have been lightly sedated by a doctor who joined them in the chamber, to prevent them from panicking during the journey out.

Mae Sai Prasitsart School, where six of the trapped boys study, will prepare special classes for when they return, school director Kanet Pongsuwan said at a news conference on Monday.

He said the boys would be offered psychological support but would be treated “like any other students at school” to help them settle back in, Channel News Asia reported.

“We’ll never make them feel guilty over what has happened. We’ll not blame them for it,” he said.

The first four boys rescued from the cave on Sunday are in hospital and reported to be in good health.

Their names have still not been released and officials say this is out of respect to the families of those who remain trapped.

They are being quarantined on the eighth floor of the hospital in Chiang Rai, to guard against possible infections. Doctors said they were considering allowing their parents to visit and see the boys through a glass partition.

The boys are in good health and asked for a popular fried rice dish on Monday, said the head of the rescue team, Narongsak Osottanakorn.

"The children complained that they were hungry and wanted holy basil stir-fried rice," he said.

The BBC's Martin Patience is outside the hospital in Chiang Rai, where the rescued boys are being treated.

There was a flurry of activity there as an ambulance arrived. It was thought to be carrying a fifth person brought out of the cave as the second phase of the operation began on Monday.

Thai officials are still not confirming reports that a fifth person has been rescued.

Reports of a fifth rescue from the cave come after a pause in the operation to place new air tanks and tighten the guide ropes along the route out.

Four boys were brought out on Sunday in the first phase, after they navigated treacherous underwater passageways with the help of expert divers. Rescuers are now attempting to guide the eight remaining boys and their coach to safety.

The rescue team, made up of divers from Thailand and around the world, is racing against time to bring the group out. Heavy rainfall is expected soon, and oxygen levels in the chamber where the team were found had begun to fall dangerously low.