A funeral was held to bring Duangpetch Promthep’s soul back to his hometown in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district. PHOTO: THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
CHIANG RAI – The funeral of Duangpetch Promthep, one of 12 children rescued in 2018 from the flooded Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai, Thailand, was held Thursday night without his body.
Better known as Dom, the 17-year-old died in England on Tuesday, after collapsing in his bedroom on Sunday. The former captain of a youth soccer team in Thailand had been studying at Brooke House College, a soccer academy about 150 kilometers north of London, on a scholarship since last September.
His body is still in England, but a funeral has been held to bring his soul back to his hometown in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district, Phra Kru Prayut Chetiyanukarn, the abbot who performed the funeral rites using the photos, said. Dom’s clothes and shoes.
“I believe Duangpetch’s soul has returned to his hometown to meet his parents and friends who gathered to do merit for him,” the abbot said.
Dom’s parents, relatives and members of the Wild Boar soccer team attended the funeral.
The Royal Thai Embassy in London said Dom was taken to a hospital intensive care unit after losing consciousness in his bedroom on Sunday.
“On Tuesday morning, Duangpetch remained in critical condition before dying at 1:43 p.m. (local time),” the embassy said, adding that its staff are working with the hospital, Brooke House College and the non-profit foundation. Zico of Thailand, who secured the scholarship for Dom, to return his body to Thailand.
Along with his coach and soccer teammates, then aged between 11 and 16, Dom was stranded in the Tham Luang cave for 18 days in June 2018.
They were exploring the cave after a training session, but found themselves trapped inside after monsoon rain quickly filled the cave with water, blocking their exit.
Military personnel, police officers, diving experts, and volunteers from around the world came together to help with the 24-hour rescue efforts.
The boys and the coach were rescued in three groups in July. They were fitted with full-face breathing masks and sedated before being taken to safety underwater.
Thai Navy diver Saman Gunan died during the operation. He was the only fatality in the test. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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