Captain of Thai cave football team took his own life at UK school, coroner rules
The captain of the Thai football team who were trapped in a cave 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 14 February, two days after being found unconscious at Brooke House College in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
After an inquest into the 17-year-old’s death on 4 October at Leicester coroner’s court, Prof 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, Mason said that Duangphet“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.”
The BBC had previously reported that Duangphet, known as Dom, had enrolled as a student in the football academy late last year at Brooke House College.
In a statement on Friday, Ian Smith, the school’s principal, said its community “remains united in grief” over Dom’s death and that he would be “hugely missed”.
He said: “As a college, the health, wellbeing and welfare of our students is our absolute priority. This was reflected in our recent ISI [Independent Schools Inspectorate] safeguarding inspection from April 2023, which confirmed pupils know they have many people they can speak to, that they would be confident to do so if they felt any concerns, and they know those concerns would be acted on if they did raise them.
“The coroner also acknowledged the entire college community for the high quality of our student care, welfare and safeguarding and noted this tragic incident sadly could not have been foreseen nor prevented.
“Dom will always remain a part of the Brooke House family and will be hugely missed.”
Dom gained worldwide fame as the captain of the Wild Boars (Moo Pa in Thai) football team, which became trapped in the Tham Luang cave system in 2018 after a sudden storm caused flooding that 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 about 10,000 people.
Dom turned 13 while trapped in the cave, and images of the boys were broadcast across the world. They were sedated and removed by a team of divers one at a time. Some remained in hospital for a few weeks, having contracted lung infections during their ordeal.
In the UK, the youth suicide charity Papyrus can be contacted on 0800 068 4141 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org, and in the UK and Ireland Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 988 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org