Thai cave rescue survivor dies in accident in England

Dom, one of 12 boys saved in the Tham Luang cave rescue mission in northern Thailand almost five years ago, has died in an accident in England, UK, where he went to study football.

A Buddhist monk and Dom’s former teacher, Supatpong Methigo, broke the news on Facebook this morning. The monk said he was informed by Dom’s grandmother, who gives him alms every morning, that Dom had died in an accident.

KhaoSod reports that Dom fell and hit his head on the ground in England. First aid attempts were made, however, Dom passed away shortly afterward, reports KhaoSod.

Last August, 17 year old Duangpetch “Dom” Promthep said his “dream had come true” when he was offered a football scholarship at Brook House College Football Academy in Leicester.

On June 23, 2018, 12 members of the Wild Boars football team – aged 11 to 16 years old – got stuck in a flooded cave system in Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai province, with their 25 year old football coach Nopparat Kanthawong.

At the time, 13 year old Dom was the Wild Boars’ team captain.

No contact was made with the team for two weeks. On July 2, two British divers miraculously found the group alive on a rock, but the hardest part was yet to come – getting them out of the narrow, flooded cave system.

In an international rescue mission involving 10,000 people that gripped the world, all 12 boys and their coach were brought out of the cave alive between July 8 – 10. The mission ended 18 days after the team went missing.

The Tham Luang cave mission inspired three films, “The Cave” (2019), “The Rescue” (2021), and “Thirteen Lives” (2022).

The monk said…

“Dom’s grandmother come to offer food to the monks and informed us that Nong Dom has passed away. His home was close to this temple.

“Nong Dom was a good kid who studied hard and wrote well. He could chant Buddhist prayers extremely well and received our praises often.

“When Dom was stuck in the cave, his grandmother gave us alms every day and prayed for a miracle.”

“After the cave rescue, Dom went to Chiang Mai to study sports. Then, he received a scholarship to study further in England.

“May the soul of Duangphet “Dom” Promthep rest in a good world. A world that you desire.

“I hope the Dharma you were taught accompanies you everywhere and I hope you are my student again in a future life.”