Captain of rescued Thai soccer team dead at 17

Duangpetch Promthep was found unconscious in his dorm room in the UK and died at a local hospital

Duangpetch ‘Dom’ Promthep, the captain of the Thai boys’ soccer team that became famous after a daring underwater rescue mission saved them from an underwater cave in 2018, has died of unknown causes at the age of 17, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

Promthep, who was attending the Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicestershire, was found unconscious in his dorm room on Sunday and taken by ambulance to Kettering General Hospital, where he died on Tuesday, according to the UK outlet. His death is not currently being treated as suspicious.

The young athlete was in good health prior to his death, former coach and Thai national team captain Kiatisuk Senamuang told an online news conference on Wednesday. Thai reports cited by the BBC suggest he suffered a head injury. 

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“We unite in grief with all of Dom's family, friends, former teammates and those involved in all parts of his life, as well as everyone affected in any way by this loss in Thailand and throughout the college’s global family,” Brooke House’s principal, Ian Smith, said in a statement obtained by Sky News. Promthep had only just won a scholarship to attend Brooke House in August, something he described in an Instagram post as “my dream come true.”

Promthep and his team, the Wild Boars, became household names after a sudden rainstorm stranded them underwater in Tham Luang cave in June 2018 as they were exploring the six-mile limestone system. The 12 players and their coach were rescued after 17 harrowing nights trapped in the dark with no food – during which time Promthep turned 13 – by a team of over 150 expert divers and Thai Navy SEALs assisted by some 10,000 volunteers.