Thai boy rescued from flooded cave in 2018 dies in UK during football scholarship
Duangpetch Promthep, one of the 12 boys who was rescued from a cave complex in northern Thailand five years ago, has died in Britain.
Duangpetch reportedly suffered a head injury after falling on the ground in the English city of Leicester, where he was studying football. He was found unconscious in his dorm on Sunday and died in hospital on Tuesday, according to the BBC.
The teenager's cause of death is not yet known and attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, the Khaosod news site reported.
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Supatpong Methigo, a Buddhist monk and Promthep's former teacher, said the boy's grandmother informed him of his death on Wednesday. The abbot described Promthep as a "studious and hardworking" child in a Facebook post.
"I hope the dharma you were taught will be with you everywhere and in the next life," he wrote.
Promthep received a football scholarship from Brook House College Football Academy in Leicester last year. "Today my dream has come true," he wrote on Instagram after hearing the news.
He was among 12 boys of the Wild Boars football team, aged 11 to 16, who entered the Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai province with their 25-year-old coach on June 23, 2018, after soccer practice and were subsequently trapped by rising floodwaters.
The days-long rescue mission ended on July 10 following an operation involving more than 900 police officers, 10 helicopters and seven ambulances. Ninety-seven foreigners, including expert cave divers, engineers, rescue experts and military personnel also took part. Two Thai rescuers died during the recovery mission.
Zico Foundation, a Thai non-profit that had helped Promthep win the football scholarship, expressed his condolences in a Facebook message.
Thai social media users also expressed shock and grief over Promthep's death, saying they were "devastated" to hear the news.
"Promthep is in my memory. He had a bright future, rest in peace," wrote a user.
The Wild Boars team later became global celebrities and toured the world, meeting footballing giants at Manchester United and LA Galaxy, and headlining Ellen DeGeneres' talk show in the United States.
The team's story also inspired three films, including Thirteen Lives by Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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