Rescued boys wave in quarantine as new Thailand cave footage shows perilous route they took to safety

The first pictures of the rescued boys from the Thai football team have emerged, showing them waving and praying in hospital beds as they recover in quarantine.

Some of the group are seen sitting upright and chatting to medical staff behind their protective masks as others remain lying down in their hospital beds.

All signal to the camera in the filming as the world continues to celebrate their dramatic rescue from a flooded cave, where they had been trapped for more than two weeks, and British divers reacted to the success.

New footage has also been released from inside the Tham Luan Nang Non cave showing the perilous route the boys had to travel.

Rescue teams are seen in the filming carrying the stretchers that helped transport the boys and their football coach to safety and neck deep in yellow-tinged murky water.

Thai PM Prayuth Chan-ocha has confirmed the youngsters were given anti-anxiety drugs to calm their nerves before being brought out of the cave.

But he rejected reports the boys had been totally sedated, saying: “Who the hell would give (that) to kids.”

Health officials said two of the boys who arrived at the hospital had contracted lung infections but were receiving medicine.

All of the group, who were brought to safety over three days, lost weight but had water while they were trapped and were in good health.

The boys have not been able to be reunited with their families yet as tests are ongoing to check that they are clear of infections.

A British diver who was among the international effort aiding the boys' rescue told ITV News he was "over the moon" with the outcome.

The teammates had become trapped in the cave on June 23 and were finally extracted by experienced divers.

A team of 90 divers and cave experts had brought the group out along the flooded 2km route.

A medic and three Seals who had stayed with the last of the boys in their dark refuge deep inside the cave complex were the last to come out of the cave on Tuesday.