Thai cave rescue victims now - from professional football careers to tragedy

25 February 2024 , 19:55

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It took 17 days for the Thai football team to all be rescued (Image: X00514)

For two weeks in June 2018 the world was gripped after 12 schoolboys and their football coach became trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand.

The football team, the Wild Boars, had gone exploring in the country's Chiang Rai province with their football coach, and their end goal was the Tham Luang cave - a favourite spot for them. The team had often ventured as far as 8km deep into the cave - but they hadn't banked on the amount of rainfall which was to come.

According to one of the boys, who were aged between 11 and 17 at the time, they were caught off-guard by a flash flood, and despite only planning to spend an hour inside, were left with no choice but to scramble deeper into the cave. The boys, and their coach, eventually found themselves marooned on a small rocky shelf about 4km from the entrance.

Surrounded by darkness and no food, the group used rocks to dig deeper into the shelf and huddled together to keep warm - all while the world watched with bated breath as a rescue mission hatched. After two weeks of planning and failed rescue attempts, a group of rescue divers with specialist breathing equipment reached the group through a number of water-filled passages.

The group of boys were taken out on stretchers (AFP/Getty Images)

It seemed an impossible task to get the whole group back through the same way, especially as it took rescue divers five hours to make the journey one way. But eventually the world learned that the whole group had been rescued, and that the divers had managed it by sedating the boys and putting them on stretchers before being passed from diver-to-diver through the cave.

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Incredibly, all 12 boys and their coach survived - a feat which has inspired a host of documentaries such as The Rescue. But more than five years after the incredible rescue efforts, where are they now? Here we take a closer look.

Where are the Thai cave rescue boys now?

The Wild Boars football team at hospital in Chiang Rai province (AFP/Getty Images)

After having spent over two weeks in the cave, the boys received worldwide attention, and since then the interest in the Wild Boars has remained.

Among the boys was Adul Sam-On, who was the one tasked with communicating with the divers who were rescuing them, as he spoke an impressive five languages. Speaking to The New York Times in 2022, Adul shared he had initially dreamed of becoming a doctor. However, after the terrifying ordeal, he was instead considering doing humanitarian work, possibly for the United Nations.

World News Tonight anchor David Muir shared an update on Adul in 2023. With a full scholarship, he graduated The Masters School outside New York in 2020, becoming the school team's captain. After graduating he shared his plans to attend Middlebury College. At the time, Adul said: "We have to keep adjusting to the environment where you are in order to survive. You have to keep adapting your life."

Speaking about the wider team, he shared that they had all gone their separate ways, but that they try to stay in contact. He said that some were pursuing education while others continued to play football. He added: "They still chat and message with each other, sharing their experiences."

The boys had no food (REUTERS)

Former teammate Phonchai Khamluang went on to play professional football with Thai third-division team Chiangrai Lanna. He now regularly shares updates on his life on his Instagram page, and it now appears that he plays football for Mae Fah Luang University.

His fellow rescuee Chanin 'Titan' Wibunrungrueang, who at the age of just 11 was the youngest in the cave, said he had a "strong" desire to become a professional footballer. In 2019 he went on a VIP tour of the Japan Football Museum, and told Kyodo News he wanted to "make money to help his parents".

In 2023 it was reported that he went on to play football with an academy run by Ekkapol Chantawong, the coach who was trapped with the boys. Aged just 25 at the time, the former month had helped the boys keep calm by teaching them meditation techniques. After escaping, he told the BBC he had set up the academy to help young Thai boys reach their potential. Several of the other boys are also still involved in football at various levels.

Duangphet Promthep died by suicide in 2023, here with President of the Zico Foundation, Kiatisuk 'Coach Zico' (INSTAGRAM)

Dom had been studying in England (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

However, unfortunately it wasn't a fairytale ending for everyone involved. The team captain Duangphet Promthep, also known as Dom, aged just 13 at the time, died by suicide on February 14, 2023. Aged just 17, he was found unconscious in his dorm room at Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicestershire. He had been studying in England thanks to a scholarship which was secured by former Thai national team captain and coach Kiatisuk 'Zico' Senamuang. After an inquest into his death, senior coroner for Leicester city and south Leicestershire, said the the boy "was not known to mental health services, and it is not known why he took the actions that he did. It could not have been foreseen or prevented. The police investigation has found no evidence of third-party involvement or suspicious circumstances."

Attending Brooke House College alongside Dom was Phanumat Saengdi, who was aged 13 at the time of the incident. He spent three weeks at the college in 2019. According to principal Mike Oliver, the two were inseparable.

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At the time of Dom's untimely death, former teammate Prachak Sutham wrote in a touching tribue: "The 13 of us have been through a lot of things together, sadness, happiness, risk of death. You told me to wait and see you play for the national team. I always believed you would do it."

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

The Rescue will air on BBC Two on Sunday, February 25 at 9pm. Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on , , , , and

Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz