Survivor of Cave Rescue in Chiang Rai Thailand, Dies in UK at Age 17

Media outlets in the UK have reported that the captain of the young “Wild Boars” football team rescued from a flooded Tham Luang Cave in Chiang Rai has died. Family and friends were devastated by the news of 17-year-old Duangphet “Dom” Phromthep’s untimely death.

Reports in the British media suggested a head injury was the cause of death, but this could not be independently verified. Last year, he enrolled in the Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicester, England.

As soon as the news broke yesterday, people took to social media to express their sorrow and sympathy. Zico Foundation announced the scholarship recipient Duangphet, also known as Nong Dom, with a photo and message.

Duangphet’s mother called the abbot of Wat Phra That Doi Wao in Chiang Rai at around 6 a.m. to tell him her son had passed away, according to Phra Khu Prayut Jetiyanukarn.

According to the abbot, it was initially thought that Duangphet had fallen and sustained injuries. He passed away despite being admitted to the hospital and having a ventilator placed in his room. The family has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and an official announcement will be made later.

The boy’s relatives in tambon Wiang Phang Kham told reporters that they had been told he had been hurt in an accident that ultimately led to his death. They said information would be made public by the English football academy.

In 2018, the world watched as Wild Boars football team captain Duangphet and his teammates were rescued from a flooded Tham Luang Cave. He was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Leicestershire Football Academy in August last year.

Duangphet announced his scholarship win with an Instagram post. His future as a football student in England was “like a dream come true,” he said.

Twelve young football players, ages 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach were rescued from the flooded Luang cave in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district in June and July 2018.

After finishing up football practice on June 23, they investigated the underground complex and quickly found themselves in trouble.

Ultimately, it took 17 days for them to be discovered by two British divers after being trapped in the cave by floodwaters caused by an unexpected storm.

Little Duangphet was the one who first called for help, and the rescuers heard him. When he was 13, he was in middle school. The subsequent rescue attempt was intricate and risky. There was one fatality among the Thai rescue workers.

On Facebook, former Wild Boars coach Eakapol Jantawong gushed about how Dom would be remembered fondly by all. And he offered his condolences to the boy’s loved ones, too.

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