Tears of Thailand cave boys as they are told diver died in bid to save them
THE schoolboys rescued from a Thai cave wept as they learned the crushing news that a diver died trying to save them.
The 12 youngsters and their football coach were not told of the tragedy during the rescue mission, but hospital doctors decided they were ready to hear the truth.
The boys wept and bowed their heads in respect to the former Thai navy SEAL Saman Kunan, 38, who delivered oxygen tanks to the trapped group but then ran out of air himself.
One boy is seen covering his face as he cries, in a video released by the Thai authorities. Ekkapol Chantawong, the 25-year-old coach who led the ill-fated outing to the cave, wipes away tears with a clenched fist.
The youngsters also publicly thanked their British and Thai rescuers, with 15-year-old Prajak Sutham, known as Note, saying: ‘Thanks for saving me. I’m in good health.’
‘All of the boys who were evacuated from the cave have been informed of the death of one of the rescuers,’ Dr Jesada Chockbamrungsuk, who is in charge of their treatment, said yesterday. ‘ We told them about the death as part of the process of preparing the boys to go back home and to lead normal lives.
‘The survivors expressed their thanks to the Thai navy SEAL by bowing to his picture.
‘The boys all promised to be a good person and lead a good life to honour him.’
Mr Kunan was posthumously awarded Thailand’s Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant.
Last night, the grandmother of the football squad’s 13year- old captain Duangpetch Promthep, known as Dom, told the Daily Mail of her relief.
Kamaoei Promthep said: ‘Whatever these boys do in their lives, they can never fully repay all those people.’
The boys, aged 11 to 16, went exploring in the Tham Luang cave, northern Thailand, on June 23 but a sudden monsoon deluge cut off their exit and they were pushed further into the cave. British potholers found them nine days later and helped lead a three-day rescue push that ended on July 10.