Ashes of Thailand ‘cave boy’ released on Mekong River

By KAWEEWIT KAEWJINDA
Associated Press

CHIANG SAEN, Thailand (AP) — Family members, monks and friends have watched from a boat as the ashes of one of the 12 boys rescued from a flooded cave in northern Thailand in 2018 were released into the Mekong River. Seventeen-year-old Duangphet Phromthep died last month while attending a sports academy in England. His ashes floated away in a makeshift vessel along with soccer balls and some of his prized possessions. He and 11 of his “Wild Boar” soccer teammates and their coach were trapped in a flooded cave for more than two weeks before being safely guided out by expert cave divers in a miraculous effort that captured global interest.