Elon Musk offers hi-tech help to lost Thai boys

The boys smile as a medic help assists them inside a cave in Mae Sai. Photo / AP

Representatives for Elon Musk are in talks with Thai authorities about aiding in the rescue of the boys and their coach, said a spokesman for the billionaire.

Musk's companies could help by trying to locate the boys' precise location using Space Exploration Technologies Corp or Boring Co technology, pumping water or providing heavy-duty battery packs known as Tesla Inc Powerwalls, the spokesman said. It's unclear whether Thai officials will accept the offer.

The 12 boys and their coach were found by a pair of British cave divers late on Monday.

Efforts to rescue them are hampered by narrow passageways and rising waters in the cave system. Most of the boys cannot swim.

Tesla CEO and founder of the Boring Company Elon Musk. Photo / AP

Last year, after a devastating hurricane hit Puerto Rico, the Government there asked Musk for help. Tesla sent Powerwalls and provided advice on rebuilding the Caribbean island's infrastructure.

Over the last couple of days, Musk posited possible ways his companies could help in Thailand. "I suspect that the Thai govt has this under control, but am happy to help if there is a way to do so," he wrote on Twitter.

Musk's tunnelling start-up Boring Co could potentially make available its massive drills or excavation expertise, but such an approach could be too dangerous for this mission.