Déjà vu: Thai football coach stranded by floods again (video)
It was a case of deja vu for Eakapol Jantawong, known as Coach Ek, the football trainer who famously led his young team through the harrowing 2018 Thai cave rescue after he found himself trapped once more – this time on the roof of his house in Thailand’s flood-stricken Mae Sai district.
Coach Ek recounted his harrowing experience of being trapped by floodwaters for three days and two nights before being rescued by Navy SEALs yesterday.
The Thai Navy SEAL Foundation shared a video interview with Coach Ek on their Facebook page, detailing the recent flood disaster that left him stranded in his home.
Forced onto the roof with his family, Coach Ek confessed he was afraid of what might happen.
“I was scared, but I told myself I have to be calm.”
The football coach initially underestimated the severity of the flood, thinking it would be similar to previous years when the water only reached knee-height. However, within an hour, the water had risen to waist level.
The Thai government deployed military forces to aid the thousands affected by the floods, with special operations teams working in the northern provinces to rescue the stranded.
Coach Ek’s village was engulfed by water on Tuesday, rising so swiftly that the family had no choice but to seek refuge on their rooftop. Recalling his experience in the Tham Luang cave, Eakapol noted the parallels between the two incidents:
“First, we have to focus and start solving the problem we are facing.”
Surviving on snacks from his brother’s shop, Coach Ek compared the ordeal to the time he and his football team were trapped in a cave.
“This time, it wasn’t children we needed to look after; it was adults. But the damage is widespread; it’s not just us, everyone has lost everything.”
The flood left him with nothing but the clothes on his back and his mobile phone, reported The Independent UK.
“We had to climb onto the roof and wait. It was frightening, but we had no other choice.”
Back in 2018, Coach Ek kept his footballers calm by leading them in meditation while they awaited rescue. Their 18-day ordeal ended when two British divers discovered them alive.
“I do not feel more pressure with this stranding. I see more of a way out.”
Though water levels have started to recede, Eakapol remains wary of the unpredictable currents.
“I hope I don’t have to go up on the roof again tonight.”
