Mum Of Deceased Thai Football Team Captain Says Family Can’t Afford Repatriation
The mum of Duangpetch Promthep, a 17-year-old Thai football team captain whose team was rescued from a cave in 2018, is appealing for help.
The teen had passed away in the United Kingdom, and his family wishes to bring his body home to Thailand.
Captain Of Thai Football Team Stuck In Cave Passes Away, Reportedly Suffered Head Injury
If they can bring him home, they want to do a religious ceremony so he can rest in peace.
The 17-year-old, nicknamed Dom, was found unconscious in his dorm room and passed away two days later in hospital, according to former footballer Kiatisuk Senamuang, who’s been talking to the teen’s mother.
Mother of Thai football team captain needs help to bring body home to Thailand
On Wednesday (15 Feb), Duangpetch’s mother, Thanaporn Promthep, spoke in a press conference via Zoom, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported.
“We want him to return… because our family doesn’t have much…” she said. “We don’t have money. None of us do.”
“We would like to ask for your help to bring his body home, please.”
His family expressed fears that his spirit may still be in his dormitory or hospital.
However, she heard that it would cost a lot to send his body back to Thailand — money that the family doesn’t have.
She also said a few children in the family haven’t finished schooling.
“Now that Dom is gone, if we really can’t get his body, we’ll get what we can, perhaps his ashes.”
Passed away in hospital two days after being found
According to Kiatisuk, a teacher found Dom unconscious in his dorm room on Sunday (12 Feb).
He had been studying at the Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicestershire since last year, with help from Kiatisuk’s Zico Foundation.
But two days after he was taken to the hospital, his breathing became weaker, and he wasn’t responsive.
Bangkok Post reported that hospital staff conveyed information to the Royal Thai Embassy in the UK that Duangphet’s breathing had stopped,
The embassy then informed Duangphet’s parents of his death. Kiatisuk noted he was healthy and had taken a physical examination before leaving for Leicestershire.
I will do my best to bring his body back to Thailand.
Though the cause of death remains unclear, Leicestershire Police said in a statement that the death was not being treated as suspicious.
Cave explorer says death was unfair
The school said on 15 Feb that it is united in grief with everyone in his life.
“We unite in grief with all of Dom’s family, friends, former teammates and those involved in all parts of his life,” it said.
“Life is very cruel,” Vernon Unsworth, one of the cave rescuers in 2018, told The New York Times.
“The sad thing is he was given the opportunity he wanted in life, and now his life is suddenly taken away at a very young age.”
Dom was among 13 boys in the Wild Boars football team rescued from a flooded cave in 2018 — a story that riveted hearts worldwide.
The boys had pledged to stay together following their rescue, but one of them has now passed away.
MS News offer our condolences to Dom’s family, and we hope they will be able to bring his body back to Thailand.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook and AP via CNN.
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