Thai boy rescued from flooded cave in 2018 dies in UK
February 15, 2023
One of 12 young soccer players rescued from a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018 has died in Britain, where he attended a sports academy. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Duangpetch Promthep, pictured here in 2018 following the harrowing rescue from a flooded Thai cave, was attending a British sports academy when he diedImage: Soe Zeya Tun/REUTERS
Advertisement
One of 12 boys dramatically rescued from a flooded Thai cave in 2018 after being trapped for more than two weeks has died in Britain while studying on a football scholarship, authorities said on Wednesday.
Duangpetch "Dom" Promthep, who was 17-years-old, was found unconscious in his room on Sunday at the Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicestershire and was taken to a hospital, where he died on Tuesday.
Dom's death was confirmed by the school and the Zico Foundation of Thailand, which funded his studies. The cause of death has not been revealed but Leicestershire police said it was "not being treated as suspicious."
17-year-old Duangpetch "Dom" Promthep studied at Brooke House CollegeImage: Jacob King/empics/picture alliance
School is 'shaken' by boy's death
Ian Smith, the principal of Brooke House College, said it was "devastated" and the college community "deeply saddened and shaken" by his death.
"We unite in grief with all of Dom's family, friends, former teammates and those involved in all parts of his life, as well as everyone affected in any way by this loss in Thailand," he added.
The head of the Zico Foundation, former Thai national team captain and coach Kiatisuk Senamuang, said in an online news conference that he did not know the cause of death and that Dom had apparently been in good health.
Dom's mother, who joined the online news conference, said she hoped a Buddhist monk in England could conduct rites for Dom so his spirit would not be trapped where he died according to Buddhist beliefs.
Thai cave boys mark homecoming
02:35
This browser does not support the video element.
Dramatic rescue in 2018
Dom was the captain of the Wild Boars, a youth football team in the northern Thai province of Chiang Rai.
Twelve members of the team aged 11 to 16 and their coach were exploring the Tham Luang cave complex in June 2018 when they were trapped by rapidly rising floodwaters.
They were found nine days later in a flooded chamber 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the entrance of the caves. It was another eight days before all were safely rescued.
The story of the Wild Boars made headlines across the globe and has since inspired movies, documentaries and books.
dh/rs (AP, AFP, Reuters)
Why it was so difficult to extricate Thai cave boys
After a daring rescue mission, Thai divers and international volunteers rescued 12 young soccer players and their coach from a flooded cave. The group was stranded in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex for 18 days.
Image: picture-alliance/Newscom
Happy ending after harrowing ordeal
After deliberating over how best to rescue the boys and their coach - considering even whether to teach them how to dive, or wait for the monsoon waters to recede months later - rescue workers finally settled on pumping out as much water as possible, sedating those trapped and strapping them to a diver who shepherded them to safety.
Image: Reuters/Thai Navy Seals
Found alive after nine days
Rescue divers initially found the 12 young soccer players and their coach alive on July 3 after they went missing in a Thai cave 10 days earlier. Fighting against time, rain and low oxygen levels, rescuers managed to free the first four boys successfully on July 8. The rescuers faced a complicated and dangerous diving mission to free the rest of the team and their coach.
Image: picture-alliance/Newscom
Glimpse of joy
Families of the teenage soccer players expressed their joy over the discovery of the boys nine days after they went missing. Outside the cave, the mother of one of the boys said she was "glad" for a glimpse of her son. "He's thinner," she said, as she ran her finger over the image of her son on a television screen.
Image: Thai Navy Seal via AP
Massive rescue efforts
Thai rescuers were assisted by an international team comprising experts from China, Australia, the USA and Britain. A video from the Thai Navy SEAL Facebook page showed the group several kilometers inside the 10-kilometer (6-mile) cave network on a small wedge of dry ground. The boys moved 400 meters further in as the ledge had become covered by water.
Trapped by flooding
The boys, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach entered the cave to celebrate one of the player's birthday. They became trapped in the cave, a local tourist spot where similar incidents have taken place in the past, when sudden rainfall flooded its entry on June 23. It was later reported that some of the boys could not swim, further complicating the rescue.
Image: picture-alliance/Xinhua
A difficult mission
The rescue mission proved difficult for divers whose efforts were continually hampered by rising water that filled sections of the cave, often forcing them to stop. Getting trained divers into the cave was easier than getting untrained kids out.
Image: Reuters/S. Zeya Tun
Boys' safety paramount
The entire nation was glued to the media coverage of the rescue mission, and Thai authorities insisted they will not compromise on the safety of the trapped group. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha (above, at right) thanked international experts who helped find the boys.
Image: picture alliance/Xinhua News Agency
First boys rescued
The first four boys were rescued by a team of 13 foreign diving experts and Thai Navy SEALS, who helped them navigate the flooded cave tunnels. The head of the rescue operation said they were the healthiest in the group. The rest of the boys and their coach would be rescued from the cave over the next two days.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/L. Suwanrumpha
Safe and sound
Doctors who treated the boys after their rescue reported that while they had lost weight, the otherwise appeared to be in good health. The dozens of divers and hundreds of other rescue workers have been celebrated around the world as heroes, especially 38-year-old former Thai Navy SEAL Saman Kunan, who died after bringing the group supplies of air on July 5.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Thailand Government Spokesman Bureau
