A funeral has taken place today for the brave diver who died trying to save the young footballers trapped in caves in Thailand.
Hundreds of mourners gathered near the Tham Luang cave complex, in the northern province of Chiang Rai, as they paid their respects to Saman Kunan.
A cleansing ceremony and memorial service was held next to a shrine for the 37 -year-old former Navy SEAL.
Saman died on July 6 while installing oxygen tanks along the twisting passageways of the cave ahead of a mission to bring the 12 boys and their coach to safety.
He was widely hailed as a hero but the boys, aged 11 to 16, were only told about his death on Saturday after a medical team said they were strong enough mentally to handle the news, though many wept after hearing it.
A funeral has taken place today (pictured) for the brave diver who died trying to save the young footballers trapped in caves in Thailand
Hundreds of mourners gathered near the Tham Luang cave complex, in the northern province of Chiang Rai, as they paid their respects to Saman Kunan
The former Navy Seal died on July 6 while installing oxygen tanks along the twisting passageways of the cave ahead of a mission to bring the 12 boys and their coach to safety
The ‘Wild Boars’ football team are recovering in hospital following 18 days spent inside the Tham Luang cave after entering on June 23 and getting trapped by monsoon floodwaters.
Doctors say they are in good health following a successful three-day operation which ended July 10 when teams of Thai Navy SEALs and international cave diving experts hauled the last five members of the team to safety.
Tributes from Thailand and around the world have poured in for Saman, a triathlete and diver who retired from the military in 2006 and worked at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport before volunteering to help with the rescue in northern Thailand.
Specialists who took part in the risky mission to bring the Wild Boars home have expressed shock and surprise that they were able to pull it off, with some fearing that there could have been more casualties.
The unprecedented and daring final push to bring the boys out saw them sedated and carried through waterlogged and partially dry corridors with the help of military stretchers and nearly 100 divers.
Soldiers attend the funeral a former Thai navy diver, Samarn Kunan, who died during the rescue mission for the 12 boys
Offerings are placed on the ground during the funeral a former Thai navy diver, Samarn Kunan,
A cleansing ceremony and memorial service was held next to a shrine for the 37 -year-old former Navy SEAL
Ekkapol Chantawong (left), the 25-year-old football coach who led the ill-fated outing into the cave, wipes away tears with a clenched fist after learning about Saman Kunan’s (right) death
Health officials have conveyed a largely positive picture of the boys’ recovery. All are expected to leave hospital on Thursday.
The health ministry said the overall condition for the players and coach was normal, though many are still on a course of antibiotics.
Despite the positive assessments so far experts have said they would all need to be monitored closely for signs of psychological distress that could take months to manifest.
They spent nine days in the dark, dank cave before being located by two British divers.
The boys – and their parents – have been advised to spend time with friends and family and not to give media interviews as that could trigger post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.
But the interest in their story is unlikely to evaporate overnight, as Hollywood producers are already jockeying to make a film version of the saga.
The youngsters bowed their heads in respect to the brave former Navy Seal diver
The boys posed with a drawing of former Petty Officer Kunan at their hospital ward