Tears as Thai cave survivors are told about Navy Seal’s death

It’s the story that has captivated the world and the 12 young Thai boys who were rescued from the Tham Luang Cave have only just discovered a life was lost in an attempt to save them.

As you will recall, former Thai Navy diver Saman Gunan passed away on July 6 due to a lack of Oxygen after he tried to return to a command centre nearly 2km inside the cave. At the time, Gunan was only working as a volunteer, with many hailing him a hero since his death.

The 12 soccer players and their 25-year-old coach were told about the devastating loss over the weekend. According to BBC News, the team was not previously strong enough to process the news. The report claims the team were upset when they found out.

“All cried and expressed their condolences by writing messages on a drawing of Lieutenant Commander Saman and observed one minute of silence for him,” Jedsada Chokdamrongsuk, permanent secretary at the health ministry, said in a statement. “They also thanked him and promised to be good boys.”

Read more: Thai boys shown waving and smiling in first video since rescue

In photos that have since gone viral on social media, the “Wild Boars” team can be seen holding up a drawing of their hero. It has been nearly a week since the final boys and their coach were all rescued from the cave. They’re aged between 11 and 16.

Thai boys rescued from cave in tears, mourn diver who died https://t.co/f04YRjnslO pic.twitter.com/WMLoeKdzMj

— CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) July 15, 2018

The soccer team became trapped four kilometres in the cave after heading in as a rite of passage. The team originally set off for their adventure on June 23 and an international rescue mission began on July 2 – more than a week after they vanished. Flash floods had made it nearly impossible for the team to escape the cave, although they were all saved after 17 days.

The team is still in a hospital in the Thailand province of Chiang Rai, where they are all continuing to receive medical attention. They are expected to be released on Thursday, however, close attention will be given to their mental health, with fears they could experience post-traumatic stress as a result of their ordeal.

Read more: Aussie diver didn’t think Thai soccer team would ‘make it out of cave alive’

Meanwhile, the first footage from inside the opening chamber of the cave was released last week, giving millions of people around the world a glimpse of what the boys went to. Sunrise reporter Chris Reason was given access inside, giving viewers a first-hand look at where the boys were trapped for 17 days.

Well here it is… we’ve visited the Tham Luang cave where the boys and their coach were trapped for 17 days pic.twitter.com/VuMBoNrjU2

— Chris Reason (@ChrisReason7) July 11, 2018

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