dies of an ex-sports seal in the Thai cave

Wearing a gray polo and tinted blue glbades, Samarn Kunan (38) took a video before taking the plane on July 1 to join the Thai and international teams from northern Thailand in search of 12 boys missing in a cave. "I see you tonight in Tham Luang," said Samarn, optimistic, before signing the video clip and leaving for the Chiang Rai province on the Myanmar border.

Less than a week later, Samarn, a former member of the Thai Navy Seal Unit, would die in the cave of Tham Luang, the first victim of a multinational operation to find and rescue the boys and their missing coach on July 23 after the showers flooded the cave system. explored.

Rescue divers found on Monday 13, snuggled on a muddy ledge of a partially flooded chamber, and the search then turned into a rescue, to get the 13 out through several kilometers of dangerously flooded tunnels.

Samarn died early Friday after he and another volunteer were on their way home from placing oxygen tanks at the bottom of the cave. He fell unconscious, and his partner's efforts to resuscitate him were futile, said the Seal unit.

In the video clip, Samarn seemed to want to help his old unit find the boys

"We have medical teams and navy divers with us," said Samarn, referring to Thai military divers by their nickname.

Comrade fallen

The Seal unit paid tribute to their former comrade. "He was an athlete, he loved adventure sports … no matter what activity the frogs were involved in Samarn, until the end of his life," said the artist. unit in a release

Samarn left the unit in 2006 to work at Suvarnabhumi Airport as an emergency rescuer

On his Instagram account, he appeared to be a pbadionate cyclist, displaying several photos of himself on a mountain bike

In a post Wednesday, Samarn uploaded photos of himself in action with a rescue

A spokesman for the navy, Rear Admiral Chetta Jaipiem, said that the Navy would request a "special authorization" to posthumously promote Samarn, who was a first clbad officer when he left the unit.

US Ambbadador to Thailand, Glyn T Davies presents his condolences to the family of Samarn

"In the name of the people am Rican, I & # 39; offer my deepest condolences to his family and pays tribute to his courage and selflessness in the service of his country. " said a statement. – Reuters