Former Thai Navy SEAL dies during rescue effort of boys trapped in cave

Rescuers inside the cave.
(Image credit: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images)

A former Thai Navy SEAL died early Friday morning while helping with the rescue effort of 12 soccer players and their coach from a cave in Thailand.

The man, identified as Samarn Kunan, 38, ran out of oxygen while diving; a volunteer, he had been placing air tanks in the cave to prepare for a potential rescue mission, The Guardian reports. The children and their coach have been in the cave for more than a week, and Thai officials are discussing rescue options, including having experienced divers go down and guide everyone out.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.