Thailand Cave Rescue soccer team captain dies in UK

London One of the 12 boys who were dramatically rescued from a cave in Thailand in 2018 has died in Britain where he attended school on a scholarship, officials said Wednesday. Duangpetch Promthep, 17, was the captain of his football team, the Wild Boars, who were stranded in floodwaters in a cave in northern Thailand in June 2018.

of 18 days of desperate rescue work It hit headlines around the world and has inspired movies, documentaries and books ever since.

Duangpetch was awarded a football scholarship last year to study at Brook House College in Leicestershire, central England.

“Today my dream came true,” Duanpech wrote on Instagram in August. “I will do my best to concentrate.”

Leicestershire police said they were summoned to a boarding school on Sunday over concerns about the welfare of a student who did not name them in line with British police protocol.

“The student, a 17-year-old boy, was taken to hospital and subsequently died,” police said, adding that his death was “not being treated as suspicious.”

British Ambassador to Bangkok Mark Gooding extended his condolences to Duang Phetch’s family.

The Thai charity Zico Foundation, which helped him secure a scholarship, also shared its condolences with his family on Facebook, as did his teammates who were rescued from the cave.

According to reports in Thailand, Duang Phetch slipped and injured his head and was hospitalized on a ventilator for two days before he died.