Duangpetch Promthep, who was among the 12 boys who were rescued from the cave in Thailand in 2018, died in the UK this week. He and his teammates along with their coach were trapped in Tham Luang cave for almost two weeks, while they were exploring the Chiang Rai province.
The cause of Promthep’s death remains unclear but a report by the BBC said he sustained a head injury. Promthep was enrolled in the Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicestershire late last year when he was 17 years old, the BBC report said.
He was the captain of the team which got trapped inside the cave.
The news was shared first by his mother who informed the Wat Doi Wao temple, located in his hometown in Chiang Rai. The temple was also frequented by his teammates. The news was also shared by his teammates, who were trapped with him inside the cave in 2018.
The Wat Doi Wao temple posted its condolences to Promthep on Facebook on Wednesday. The post said: “May Dom’s soul rest in peace.”
Promthep was called Dom endearingly by those close to him. Zico Foundation, a Thailand-based NGO which helped Promthep secure a scholarship in England also expressed condolences.
He captained the Wild Boars football team. The Wild Boars ventured into the Tham Luang cave on 23 June 2018 and were trapped when the floodwaters rose.
Promthep was 13 at that time and his teammates were aged between 11 and 16.
They were miraculously rescued after two weeks. The search and rescue operation involved nearly 100 Thai and foreign divers. They were sedated with ketamine during the rescue mission. The team regularly went to the Tham Luang cave system, which also happened to be the nation’s fourth biggest cave system.
The rescue mission grabbed global attention and several books, films and videos were made to retell their story of survival. Streaming giant Netflix also produced a six-episode miniseries in 2022 on the rescue mission.
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