One of the boys who was rescued from a Thai Cave in 2018 has sadly passed away in the UK aged just 17.
Duangpetch Promthep was rescued from a cave alongside his soccer teammates in the Chiang Rai province of Thailand, and the story made worldwide news.
On June 23, 2018, the Wild Boars soccer team which ranged from the ages of 11 to 16 at the time went to the Tham Luang cave after practice.
After a sudden storm, the narrow passageways in and out of the cave flooded, causing the young boys and their 25-year-old coach to be trapped inside, per BBC News.
The team spent nine days in the dark with no food, before divers located them. The boys were trapped for over two weeks and were given food and letters from loved ones as experts planned their rescue.
They would attempt to tunnel out using rocks while the coach taught the young soccer players meditation to calm them, which also helped them use the least amount of oxygen possible.
Luckily the boys made it out, and Promthep would go on to become a talented soccer player, resulting in him gaining a scholarship from the Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicestershire, UK.
The captain of the Wild Boars soccer team jetted off to the other side of the world, in the hope of making a successful career in soccer.
Sadly, he was found unconscious in his dormitory, and after being rushed to the hospital he was pronounced dead on Tuesday (February 14), aged just 17.
The cause of death is currently unknown, by 9News reports that Facebook posts from Promthep's family members indicate that he suffered a head injury.
The news came after his mother told the Wat Doi Wao temple in his hometown in Chiang Rai about the tragic incident. As obtained by the BBC, it read: "May Dom's soul rest in peace."
Messages of condolence flooded in from Promthep's teammates, with Prachak Sutham, one of the boys who was rescued from the cave, writing: "You told me to wait and see you play for the national team, I always believe that you would do it.
"When we met the last time before you left for England, I even jokingly told you that when you come back, I would have to ask for your autograph. Sleep well, my dear friend. We will always have 13 of us together."
Titan Chanin Viboonrungruang, another one of the boys, wrote: "Brother, you told me that we would be achieving our football dream. You are one of the persons that pushes me and makes me wanting to improve myself to your level. If the next world is real, I want us to play football together again, my brother Dom."
Our thoughts are with Promthep's loved ones at this time.
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