Thai cave rescue football team captain killed himself at UK school, coroner rules

Duangphet Phromthep’s death ‘could not have been foreseen or prevented’, coroner rules

Duangphet “Dom” Phromthep, one of the boys rescued from the flooded cave in northern Thailand, is greeted by relatives after being saved (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The captain of the Thai football team who was trapped in a cave with his teammates for several days in 2018 took his own life while at school in the UK, a coroner has ruled.

Duangphet Phromthep died at Kettering General Hospital on February 14, two days after being found unconscious at Brooke House College in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.

Following an inquest into the 17-year-old’s death on October 4 at Leicester Coroner’s Court, Professor Catherine Mason, senior coroner for Leicester City and South Leicestershire, recorded a conclusion of suicide.

In a record of inquest seen by the PA news agency, Prof Mason said: “Mr Phromthep was not known to mental health services, and it is not known why he took the actions that he did.

Duangphet Phromthep attended Brooke House College in Market Harborough, Leicestershire (Jacob King/PA) (PA Archive)

“It could not have been foreseen or prevented.

“The police investigation has found no evidence of third-party involvement or suspicious circumstances.”

Duangphet, known as Dom, previously gained worldwide fame as the captain of The Wild Boars, or Moo Pa in Thai, football team.

The team became trapped in the Tham Luang cave system in 2018 after a sudden storm caused flooding which blocked the exit.

The boys, then aged between 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old coach spent nine days in darkness without food before they were found by an international search and rescue effort involving around 10,000 people.

Dom turned 13 while trapped in the cave, with images of the boys beamed across the world before they were sedated and removed by a team of divers one at a time.

They left hospital a few weeks later after some contracted lung infections while they were trapped.

The BBC had previously reported that Dom had enrolled as a student in the football academy late last year at Brooke House College, which has been approached for comment.