Beiret Bureerak, a Thai Navy SEAL who was hailed as a hero for his part in the rescue of a boys’ soccer team from a flooded cave, has died as a result of an infection he picked up at the time.
The Royal Thai Navy announced the news in a statement to social media, remembering him as a “hero of the cave” and mourning his passing.
They said that he contracted a blood infection during the search and rescue mission for the Wild Boars soccer team, at the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system in July of 2018.
Per the statement, he had been receiving medical treatment under close supervision, but could not be saved, and died on Friday from his condition.
The navy sent its deepest condolences to the family of Beiret Bureerak. You can see the post below.
On June 23, 2018, twelve members of the Wild Boars junior soccer team and their coach went missing after exploring the cave, becoming stranded there after sudden rainfall flooded the tunnels.
In subsequent weeks, their plight became an international news story, and they were eventually extracted on July 8, in an operation that involved eighteen rescue divers.
