Rescued cave "Wild Boars" boy dies in accident at 17

[Gaybutton]

Rescued "Wild Boars" Footballer Dies in UK

February 15, 2023

Luang cave survivor Duangphet “Dom” Phromthep, the captain of the Wild Boars football team, has died suddenly in England.

One of the young "Wild Boars" footballers rescued from flooded Luang Cave in Chiang Rai in 2018 has died suddenly in England.

The death of teenager Duangphet “Dom’’ Phromthep came as a shock to his family and friends.

The cause of death was unclear. Unconfirmed reports in British media said he sustained a head injury. He had signed up for the Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicester, England, last year. 

Social media was inundated with messages of grief and condolence when the news broke on Wednesday.

The Zico Foundation posted a message and a photo of Duangphet, or Nong Dom, who had received a football scholarship from the foundation.

Phra Khu Prayut Jetiyanukarn, abbot of Wat Phra That Doi Wao in Chiang Rai, said Duangphet’s mother phoned him around 6am and said that her son had died. 

The abbot said initial reports were that there was an accident, a fall, and Duangphet was injured. He was admitted to hospital and put on a ventilator but later died. 

The family was in touch with the Foreign Affairs Ministry and details would be announced later.

Relatives in tambon Wiang Phang Kham told reporters they were informed the boy had been injured in an accident that led to his death. Details would be given out by the boy’s football club in England, they said.

Duangphet was the captain of the Wild Boars football team whose rescue from a flooded cave captured the attention of the world in 2018. He won a scholarship to study at the football academy in Leicestershire.

Duangphet posted a message on his Instagram account after receiving the scholarship. "Today, my dream has come true because I will become a football student in England,'' he said.

Between June and July 2018, Thai and international rescue teams scoured flooded Luang cave in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district to find 12 "Wild Boar" footballers aged between 11 and 16 and their 25-year-old assistant coach, who went to explore the underground complex on June 23 after football practice.

They were trapped inside by a sudden storm and flood for 17 days before being finally found by two British divers. A complex and dangerous rescue followed. One rescuer died in the flooded cave.

The Zico Foundation posts a message of condolences and a photo of Duangphet "Dom" Phromthep on its Facebook page on Wednesday.

 

Duangphet was the first person to talk to the rescue team when he and his friends were trapped inside Luang cave in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district between June and July 2018. 

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2507244/rescued-wild-boars-footballer-dies-in-uk

 

 

[fedssocr]

 

[PeterRS]

This must be one of the most heart-wrenching stories of the year. Just as we wept when all 13 of those trapped in the cave were miraculously rescued and had witnessed the help given by so many Thais from all walks of life and others from all over the world, now we weep at the death of this young man who had cheated death once only for him to succumb a second time so soon thereafter.

I do find it curious, though, that the cause of his sad death is still not known. The BBC website reports the inquest into his death opened and was adjourned yesterday. An expert claimed that the cause of his death was now known but could not be released due to "continuing enquiries." It will finally be revealed at a hearing on 6th July. I wonder what "continuing enquiries" means, the more so when all investigating the case have stated they believe the cause of his death was not suspicious. And surely this is an extraordinarily long time to wait for a result. 

Apparently he was still conscious when found but ater died in hospital. The abbot of Wat Phra That Doi may well be correct in suggesting he had sustained a head injury. A teenager receiving a blow to the head may not consider it important but older people will know it can set off trouble in the brain which without treatment can result in death. But this of course is mere speculation and it's no doubt best not to speculate further for now.

In the meantime I am sure we all extend deepest condolences to the young man's family, his community and all those who were rescued and enabled that rescue to take place.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64732942

[reader]

8 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Apparently he was still conscious when found but ater died in hospital.

This is indeed a heart-wrenching event. I was in Thailand for the duration of the rescue and vividly recall the way it affected myself and others.

Concerning the boy's state when first responders arrived in his room, he was actually reported to be alive but unconscious.

"Thailand's football legend Kiatisuk "Zico" Senamuang, whose charity helped Duangpetch secure a three-year scholarship in Britain, said a teacher had found him unconscious in his room at the school."   (Agence France-Presse)

Although an autopsy may establish the cause of death, the circumstances of death (i.e., mechanism of injury, events preceding injury) may not be immediately apparent. The final ruling may be delayed pending further investigation, even if the cause is not deemed to be suspicious at that time.

[reader]

From Coconuts Bangkok

Wild Boars footballer to be cremated in England

Monks pray in the room where 17-year-old Duangphet “Dom” Phromthep was found unresponsive earlier this month. The boy died on Feb. 14 at a hospital in Leicester, England, where he had gone to study four years after he was rescued from a cave in northern Thailand. Photo: Zico Foundation

Funerary rites will be held in England and Thailand tomorrow for the teen football player who died under mysterious circumstances at a football academy five years after he was rescued from a flooded cave.

Ceremonies for Duangphet “Dom” Phromthep will be held in Leicester, England, and the Mae Dai district of Chiang Rai province, after which his ashes will be returned home to Thailand on Saturday.

Duangphet’s mother, Thanaporn Phromthep, told reporters that the family has been making merit to monks every morning since the 17-year-old student was found unconscious in his dorm room at Brooke House College in Leicester. She said she and other family members would be present for his cremation in England prior to returning home with his ashes.

Thanaporn said that her son’s ashes would then be brought to a traditional merit-making ceremony for three days and two nights at Wat Phra That Doi Wao, located just up the road from where he spent 18 days trapped inside Tham Luang with 11 other young footballers and their 25-year-old coach in 2018.

After the rites, his ashes will be spread in a ceremony at the Mekong River in nearby Chiang Saen district.

No clear reason for Duangphet’s death has been made public despite rumors in media reports that he suffered a fatal head injury. According to the BBC, his death was not being investigated as suspicious.

 

[gayinpattaya]

He should have stayed in Thailand. It's really very sad. 
Thai parents should learn not to send their kids to Islamic, non democratic shitholes, full of terrorists boated in daily. 

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, gayinpattaya said:

Thai parents should learn not to send their kids to Islamic, non democratic shitholes, full of terrorists boated in daily. 

sure , better to send them to North Korea, certainly not Islamic, for sure democratic as very name says Korean Peoples-Democratic Republic and nobody is boated in as country is sealed from outside pretty much. 

[PeterRS]

3 hours ago, gayinpattaya said:

He should have stayed in Thailand. It's really very sad. 
Thai parents should learn not to send their kids to Islamic, non democratic shitholes, full of terrorists boated in daily. 

I'll not comment on the second line with its vitriolic and quite uncalled for stupidity.

As for the first line, this boy was fulfilling his dream. I have no doubt he was deliriously happy to be achieving that. If we all stayed home, what a boring, moronic lot we'd all be!

[Keithambrose]

I see that the inquest has found, today, that he took his own life, which is both desperately sad and somewhat inexplicable.

[omega]

1 hour ago, Keithambrose said:

I see that the inquest has found, today, that he took his own life, which is both desperately sad and somewhat inexplicable.

Desperately sad, but not inexplicable.

I imagine he might have felt a lot of pressure, given the circumstances of his being there, so far away from home. He may have felt extremely homesick, but felt completely trapped by the feeling of letting people down if he went home.

Questions need to be asked of the acadamy he was at, and why they were not more attentive to this young adult in their care.

[reader]

In his 2022 memoir, Acquanaut, I recall rescuer Rick Stanton mentioning that Dom was the only team member who didn’t receive a note from his parents when hand-written messages from relatives were brought into the cave following the boys’ discovery in chamber 9. He was reportedly visibly distraught. I think Stanton said he did not live with his parents and was being cared for by his grandmother.

The team captain, Dom was a gifted player and the team was like a second family. Who knows if being suddenly alone in a distant land, and without the support he was accustomed to in Thailand, how that may have taken its roll.

I choose to remembered hijm as he was when we first got to know about him on his teammates. Those are the memories that will endure.

[reader]

5 hours ago, omega said:

Questions need to be asked of the acadamy he was at, and why they were not more attentive to this young adult in their care.

Agree. The coroner’s report that appears in the Guardian article concludes that the tragedy could not have been prevented.

At best, that’s a highly speculative judgement. At worst, it appears to be over reaching on part of coroner. 

[Londoner]

Agreed.  If it is cover-up of failings by the college, or indeed anyone else, it is unforgiveable.  I suspect snippets of  information may be forthcoming but there are undoubtedly people- teachers, students, friends or family- who know more.

And why has it taken so long ?

[Keithambrose]

10 hours ago, omega said:

Desperately sad, but not inexplicable.

I imagine he might have felt a lot of pressure, given the circumstances of his being there, so far away from home. He may have felt extremely homesick, but felt completely trapped by the feeling of letting people down if he went home.

Questions need to be asked of the acadamy he was at, and why they were not more attentive to this young adult in their care.

I agree with all that, I was thinking of the fact that he was said to have had a head injury, which is an unusual way to commit suicide. There are no more details. 

[gerefan]

7 hours ago, Londoner said:

And why has it taken so long ?

Yes 8 months to say just a few words.

Unfortunately typical of any public service in the UK nowadays. Just look at National Health Service waiting lists, police response priorities, postal services. Took a letter 10 days to reach me today.

Alas, UK is a third world place now. 

[vinapu]

9 hours ago, gerefan said:

 

Alas, UK is a third world place now. 

time to join EU, see how Central European countries were lifted up after joining 

[PeterRS]

19 hours ago, Londoner said:

And why has it taken so long ?

This is surely the most extraordinary aspect of this very sad case. Inquests in the UK normally occur very soon after death. If drugs or other dangerous substances are suspected, a longer time will be necessary for samples to be tested. These take weeks at most. The other odd aspect is that inquests are public except where there are "real issues" of national security. Apart from the verdict of "suicide" I don't recall reading anything about the manner of the suicide other than it related to the poor boy's head.

[reader]

I’ve read accounts in the Bangkok Post and The Nation regarding coroner’s inquest. Both echo what has been previously posted and neither shed new light on incident. I don’t believe we know whether Dom spoke any English. If he didn’t I would have liked to think that the academy should have provided language tutoring to prevent isolation from his fellow students. 

[Londoner]

I wonder if one of the issues in Dom's death may be connected with the college he was attending.

English professional football clubs put millions into youth football in their determination to discover the next generation of stars. Boys as young as eight are training with my premiership club,  and other wealthy ones.  They are scouted as young as five, their parents are rewarded, promises are made, contracts signed and hopes of stardom and unlimited wealth "sold" to young children desperate for success. And to "pushy" parents.

Only one per cent "make it". Most are disappointed and  many traumatised.

When Dom arrived here, I thought it would end in disappointment, but not tragedy. The standards are so high, the demands so great, the avenues for success so few that only the most able and the most psychologically-strong even make it as far as youth level.  And here was a Thai boy, alone and ill-prepared for the challenge.   Bringing him here was well-meant but football as a career, as an ambition? Unwise. Dreams are fine but the fact that Dom was merely a good player in a village team.

None of this may be relevant to Dom's tragedy but I do have some personal experience of what is serious problem in the UK.. And don't get me started on the problem of impoverished  kids being dragged out of poverty in Africa and abandoned once they are seen not to be good enough. 

[Keithambrose]

6 hours ago, PeterRS said:

This is surely the most extraordinary aspect of this very sad case. Inquests in the UK normally occur very soon after death. If drugs or other dangerous substances are suspected, a longer time will be necessary for samples to be tested. These take weeks at most. The other odd aspect is that inquests are public except where there are "real issues" of national security. Apart from the verdict of "suicide" I don't recall reading anything about the manner of the suicide other than it related to the poor boy's head.

To be fair, I have a friend who is a coroner, and he tells me that inquests can now take a long time. Lack of staff, Covid, and any other issues. I believe that there was a police investigation, again, that could delay things. Thus, the delay should not necessarily be suspicious. 

[gerefan]

5 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

To be fair, I have a friend who is a coroner, and he tells me that inquests can now take a long time. Lack of staff, Covid, and any other issues. 

Typical UK public service. 

I went to my local hospital last week to book a hearing test. They said 10 months, yes MONTHS, waiting list. Exactly the same excuse, lack of staff, covid etc.

So I went private and was seen in 3 DAYS

And the same with numerous other public services…

[floridarob]

5 hours ago, gerefan said:

Typical UK public service. 

I went to my local hospital last week to book a hearing test. They said 10 months, yes MONTHS, waiting list. Exactly the same excuse, lack of staff, covid etc.

So I went private and was seen in 3 DAYS

And the same with numerous other public services…

The US has long waits, depending what specialist you need to see, this is regardless of insurance or paying out of pocket....because having insurance in the US sometimes paying lots out of pocket because of deductibles and copays. don't think it's 10 months wait though though 

[reader]

The longest wait I’ve experienced was appointment with a dermatologist (about five months)  because it deemed routine visit. Proved to be very productive appointment. She diagnosed and removed (by freezing with nitrogen) four pre-cancerous growths from scalp and arms. I know schedule complete body exam annually. 

 

[Londoner]

The NHS was the envy of the world- remember the 2012 Olympics tribute?- but it has been seriously under-funded by successive governments starting with that of Lord Blair of Abu Ghraib and continuing with  the current bunch of gangsters.

Nevertheless, compared to the situation in the US for example, it remains a marvel of compassion and , as I grow old and decrepit, I thank God for it. It's one of the reasons why I'm not in Thailand. My American buddy died in a public ward in Pattaya after his insurance ran out, by the way. He couldn't even afford  effective medication.

[PeterRS]

2 hours ago, Londoner said:

It's one of the reasons why I'm not in Thailand. My American buddy died in a public ward in Pattaya after his insurance ran out, by the way. He couldn't even afford  effective medication.

Sorry to hear about your buddy but I do suggest with respect it's hardly fair to blame his death on Thailand. Anyone who lives here - or even just visits - surely knows that medical costs are up to each individual, not the state. Hence the requirement and necessity for some form of medical insurance. I have a reasonably simple policy - far less coverage than I used to have when I was travelling around the world for various employers. But enough.

I go to a mix of private and public hospitals depending on the problem and the likely cost of treatment. Just last week I stupidly fell and with a wound that was clearly quite deep I went to nearby BNH. I was treated immediately and will have the sutures taken out on Thursday. Not exacly cheap but immediate attention and very kindly staff.

Three years ago I made my first visit to the Chulalongkorn public hospital. The doctor I see there spends three days a week at that hospital and three at Bumrungrad. The consultation fee at Chula is 200 baht. At Bumrungrad around 1,600 baht! On my first visit, she recommended I have a complete abdominal CT scan. That was scheduled 3 weeks later. When she looked at the results, she spotted a small cyst on the pancreas. She felt it important to see if there was anything worrying underneath. Accordingly an MRI was scheduled for a further 3 weeks later. All clear but she recommended another scan 6 months later and then annual scans for 3 years after that. With pancreatic cancer so difficult to detect in its early stages, I have been delighted with the treatment. Even more so at the costs. Even without insurance, I believe all the scans would have cost less than one MRI at Bumrungrad.

I just could not imagine living or traveling outside my home country without sufficient health insurance. But we all make our choices.