The director of a school in Chiang Mai has expressed surprise about the sudden death of young “Wild Boars” footballer Duangphet “Dom” Phromthep in England, saying the school was awaiting the autopsy results to learn the exact cause.
Duangphet was a Mathayom Suksa 5 (Grade 11) student at Vachiralai School in Saraphi district when he received a scholarship from the Zico Foundation to a football academy in England, said Khanong Tonlek, the school director.
The boy continued to take online courses and exams at Vachiralai School to qualify to enter Mathayom Suksa 6 in the next academic year.
According to Mr Khanong, the boy had been enrolled at the school since Mathayom Suksa 2 or Grade 8, shortly after being rescued from the Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai, because he wanted to pursue sports at the school. He had been given scholarships during his studies.
School executives, teachers and students were shocked and saddened by his death, said the director.
Duangphet was the captain of the young football team whose rescue from a flooded cave in 2018 captivated the world. News about his sudden passing in England brought shock and grief to his family and friends.
The young footballer signed up to attend Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicester, England, last August.
Mr Khanong said he had spoken with Dong, a close Mathayom Suksa 5 classmate of Dom, who had phoned him on Saturday, the day before Dom was found unconscious in his dormitory room.
“During the phone conversation, Dom talked about his studies and general topics about football there. There were no signs of anything that would lead to death,” said Mr Khanong.
He said he did not know the cause of death as the autopsy results from England were pending.
He said he personally wondered why a teenage athlete who was so physically fit could die so easily. Duangphet was a talented player and a fierce competitor on the pitch, he said. He could play both left and right wings due to his deftness and high skill levels.
“It’s hard to believe it was an accident, a slip in a bathroom, as it seems unreasonable. We have to await the investigation coupled with autopsy results to find out the exact cause of death,” said the school director.
Phra Khu Prayut Jetiyanukarn, the abbot of Wat Phra That Doi Wao in Chiang Rai, said Duangphet’s mother had phoned him around 6am on Wednesday and said that her son had died.
The abbot said initial reports were that there was an accidental fall and that Duangphet was injured. He was admitted to a local hospital and put on a ventilator but later died.
During a Zoom conference with media members on Wednesday, Kiatisak “Zico” Senamuang, chairman of the Zico Foundation, said that Duangphet lost consciousness in his dormitory room on Sunday. Teachers at the dormitory took him to hospital. On Tuesday, hospital staff told the Royal Thai Embassy in the UK that Duangphet’s breathing had stopped. He was not responding to treatment.
The embassy had informed Duangphet’s parents, said Mr Kiatisak, a former Thai national team star player and manager. He confirmed that Duangphet was healthy and had taken a physical examination before going to study abroad. He vowed to do his best to bring the boy’s body back to Thailand.
The Wild Boars — 12 local footballers aged between 11 and 16 and their 25-year-old coach — became trapped after they went to explore the Tham Luang cave complex on June 23, 2018 after football practice. They were unable to leave when a sudden storm flooded the cave. They spent 17 days underground before being found by two British divers, part of what had become a huge international team assembled to recover the boys.
The young Wild Boars' captain was the boy who first shouted out to the rescuers for help. A complex and dangerous operation to save them followed. One Thai rescuer died in the operation.
Duangphet celebrated his 13th birthday in the dark underground, noted Vernon Unsworth, one of the British rescuers who played a key role in bringing the boys to safety.
“The sad thing is he was given the opportunity he wanted in life and now his life has suddenly been taken away at a very young age,” Mr Unsworth told the New York Times, adding that there were not enough words to describe the outpouring of grief. “Life is very cruel.”
