The 12 Thai boys who were miraculously rescued from a flooded Thai cave last week have finally been told of the former Navy SEAL who lost his life trying to save them.
The young soccer team and their 25-year-old coach found out while still in hospital on Saturday, the BBC reports, when their doctors decided they were medically fit enough to process the news.
“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, told the press.
Thai Navy SEAL Saman Gunan died when he ran out of oxygen while helping to set up air tanks to help the boys escape.
His wife, Waleeporn Gunan, told the BBC that she was “proud” of her late husband.
“If you ask me if I’m sad, it’s like I have died but am still alive, [but I] use my pride to repress my sadness,” she said, adding of her husband, “You are the hero in my heart.”
The boys are expected to remain hospitalised until Thursday, the BBC reports, and will continue to be monitored for signs of psychological distress. They have been advised against giving any media interviews in case it triggers post-traumatic stress.
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