Tragedy has struck the world of the Wild Boars football team once again as Duangphet Phromthep, one of the 12 boys rescued from a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018, sadly passed away in the United Kingdom. The news of his unexpected death came as a shock to officials from both Britain and Thailand.
Phromthep, a 17-year-old student enrolled in a football academy in Leicestershire, England, was urgently taken to the hospital on Sunday, but despite efforts to save him, he couldn’t be saved, Leicestershire police confirmed. The Thai government, on the other hand, revealed on Facebook that Phromthep died due to an accident but did not provide further details.
The atmosphere in his hometown of Chiang Rai was filled with grief and sadness as PR Thailand expressed their condolences to the family. Phromthep had been studying in the UK through a football scholarship granted by the Zico Foundation, a non-profit organization in Thailand.
The Zico Foundation, deeply saddened by the loss, took to Facebook to pay tribute to their sponsored student, sharing a heartwarming picture of Phromthep. CNN reached out to The Brooke House College Football Academy, where Phromthep received his football scholarship, and they stated that they would release a statement regarding his passing.
The Bold Rescue
Phromthep, fondly known as Dom, was the captain of the Wild Boars youth football team that gained international attention after being trapped for over two weeks in the flooded cave complex in Chiang Rai province during the summer of 2018.
The rescue operation was an audacious and daring effort that required tremendous courage and expertise. Divers described the conditions as treacherous, with fast-flowing shallow waters and narrow passages. Over the course of three painstaking days, each child was fitted with a five-millimeter thick wetsuit, a full-face mask, and supplied with compressed air.
With two divers assigned to each child, they maneuvered through murky tunnels, carrying their oxygen tanks and guiding them to safety. Each rescue operation took several hours, with a significant portion of that time spent underwater. The most perilous part of the journey was the first kilometer, which involved navigating a narrow submerged passageway.
The rescuers had to hold the children’s oxygen tanks in front of them as they swam through submerged holes. Once this section was complete, the children were handed over to specialized rescue teams who helped them navigate the remaining part of the cave, which was mostly passable.
Phromthep, part of the second group of boys rescued, was among the three whose birthdays occurred while they were trapped underground. In his first message to his parents upon reaching the surface, he pleaded, “Don’t forget my birthday!” From the hospital, he expressed his gratitude for all the support he received and requested pork with rice as his first meal.
After their rescue, the 12 boys and their coach were transported to a nearby hospital for recovery. The news of their survival brought immense relief and tears of joy to their families, who couldn’t contain their emotions upon hearing that their loved ones were alive.
“We have been through so many ups and downs together. We have shared moments of life and death. I always believed in you when you said that you would become a national player. The last time we saw each other before you left for the UK, I jokingly told you that when you returned, I would ask for your autograph. Rest in peace, brother. We will always be the 13,” Prajak Sutham, one of the survivors of the Thai cave, expressed on Facebook upon hearing of Phromthep’s passing.
The Doi Wao temple in Phromthep’s hometown of Chiang Rai also extended their condolences to his mother during this difficult time.
Our heartfelt thoughts go out to Duangphet Phromthep’s family, friends, and all those who were impacted by this tragic loss. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
