The captain of the children’s soccer team who were trapped for 2 weeks in a cave in Thailand has died

One of 12 boys rescued in a dramatic operation after two weeks in captivity trapped in a Thai cave in 2018breathed his last in Britain where he was studying at a football academy.

His death was announced on Wednesday (15/2) by his former teacher.

Duangpets Probtep, known as “Dom” who died, was the leader of the “Wild Hogs”, the almost impossible liberation of which by an international group of divers and by Thai marines had caused worldwide interest.

The circumstances of the death of 17-year-old Duangpets, as reported by the Athens News Agency, were not immediately known.

The news was shared on social media by a Buddhist monk teaching the boys in the northern province of Chiang Rai of Thailand.

“Dwangpets Probtep went to another world today. I hope he will be reborn and become my disciple again in the next life,” Supatpong Metigo wrote on his Facebook page.

Reuters could not independently confirm his death, which Supatpong said was informed by Duangpets’ grandmother, who said the child had an unspecified accident.

Former Thai national team captain and coach Kyathisuk Senamuang, whose foundation helped Duangpets secure a scholarship to Brooke House College football academy in Leicestershire, described him as gentle, a gentleman who dreamed of playing for his country.

In June 2018, the boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old assistant coach set out to explore the Tham Luang cave complex for just one hour, but they ended up trapped by flood waters.

They were found nine days later in a flooded chamber 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) from the entrance to the caves. Their complicated rescue began six days later in an unprecedented operation in which a former diver died.

Once rescued, the boys were invited to attend a Manchester United match and their story became the subject of books, documentaries and films, and most recently, the Netflix series ‘Thai Cave Rescue’.