The rescue effort to save 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped in a Thai cave turned tragic with the death of a diver returning from bringing the boys oxygen.

Former Thai Navy SEAL Saman Kunan was exiting the cave when overtaken by a flash flood on Friday. While the trapped survivors received their payload, Kunan, 38, did not have enough oxygen left over and succumbed to the powerful water. His body was brought to the surface by another diver.

His diving partner found him unconscious and tried to resuscitate him, but attempts were unsuccessful. Kunan’s body was repatriated to his home province of Roi Et, where he will receive a royal-sponsored funeral, according to The Evening Standard.

A Facebook page for Kunan shows his love for trail running and cycling. He also competed in adventure races as part of The North Face Adventure Team.

His death is the first involved in the incident in the Tham Luang Nang Non caves. Rama X, the king of Thailand, announced that he would pay for Kunan’s funeral.

As of Monday morning, six of the 13 trapped members of the team were rescued, according to The New York Times.



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This is former Petty Officer Saman Gunan, 38 years old, former diver with the Thai Navy who died early this morning returning from the cave where the boys are stranded. He will have a full military funeral. More details @BBCr4today #Thamluangcave pic.twitter.com/j7TkTjP1Oq — Dan Johnson (@DanJohnsonNews) July 6, 2018

Since being found alive , the international search effort to bring the boys and their coach out of the cave system has grown exponentially. The volunteer effort has grown to more than 2,000 people, with the Thai military having to now turn away “well-meaning people” who can offer nothing concrete to the effort.

Exploring a cave system after soccer practice, the boys wandered far into the Tham Luang caves before being trapped in a flash flood. An extraction would require divers to swim six miles against powerful currents in dirty, muddied conditions. After reaching the boys, ages 11 to 16, several of them would have to be taught how to swim and use SCUBA equipment. From there, it would be a five mile swim with the current back to the cave's entrance.

A volunteer in the rescue effort and a highly trained diver, Kunan’s death shows the difficulty of this effort. Thai leaders vowed to continue on with the same force and gusto to honor their fallen comrade.

“We won’t let his life be in vain. We will carry on,” SEAL commander Admiral Apakorn Yuukongkaew told reporters on Friday, according to Channel NewsAsia. “We still have faith to carry out our work.”

Additional sources: CNN

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