Duangphet Phromthep, Captain of Thai Soccer Team Known for 2018 Cave Rescue, Dies at 17

told CNN in a statement. The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, but the northern regional branch of the Thai government’s public relations team said on Facebook that the boy died due to an accident.“The atmosphere at his house in Chiang Rai province was full of sorrow,” PR Thailand’s statement said. Zico Foundation, a Thai nonprofit organization which helped Phromthep study in the U.K. through a soccer scholarship, wrote on Facebook Wednesday: “Zico Foundation would like to express our sorrow for the pass of Dom Duangpet Phromthep, a scholarship student from Zico foundation.”Phromthep was enrolled at The Brooke House College Football Academy.Phromthep was the captain of the Wild Boars soccer team which was rescued after being trapped in a flooded cave in a northern Thai province for two weeks in the summer of 2018.

The international rescue effort captured worldwide attention, as divers traveled through fast-moving shallow water to take the 12 boys and their coach to safety.The boys were split into groups of four and given wetsuits, full face mask breathing apparatus and air bottles. Each of the boys was taken out by two divers, who carried their oxygen tanks and helped them navigate through the tunnels. Each rescue took several hours, and they were all soon transported to a nearby hospital for recuperation.Phromthep, who also went by Dom, left the cave in the second group of boys, more than two weeks after first getting trapped.

In the nearly three weeks that he was underground, Phromthep became one of three boys to have a passing birthday; he turned 13. In his first message to his parents, he told them not to forget. “I’m fine, but the weather is quite cold.