The effort to rescue 12 boys and their adult soccer coach trapped in a cave in northern Thailand took a tragic turn Friday as a former Thai Navy SEAL lost his life during a mission to deliver oxygen deep inside the tunnels. Petty Officer 2nd Class Samarn Kunan, 38, was found unconscious in the water early Friday after completing a delivery of oxygen tanks between the cave’s “chamber 3,” a large cavern where the Thai Navy has established a command center, and the flooded tunnels leading to the trapped boys about 1,700 meters away. Another diver found him unconscious and attempted to give him CPR. He died around 1 a.m. local time from lack of oxygen. Rear Admiral Arpakorn Yukongkaew told reporters that former SEALs have joined the rescue effort as support staff. Petty Officer Samarn graduated as a special forces officer and later resigned; he last worked for the Airports of Thailand (AOT) authority in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi international airport. “We thank the officers on this mission,” R-Adm. Arpakorn said. “Everybody knows this is risky, but the children are waiting for them. We won’t let him lose his life for nothing.” More than 1,000 people joined the dramatic search and rescue operation that began on June 23, when 12 young boys, all members of the Wild Boars soccer team, and their 25-year-old assistant coach were trapped inside Tham Luang cave by rising floodwaters. After a desperate nine-day search, all were found alive, but Thai authorities are struggling to find a way to get them out of the flooded complex. With monsoon rains approaching, water levels are at risk of rising further and worsening their dilemma. Thai SEALs are on the frontline of the rescue effort; it takes expert divers roughly six hours to reach the group from their command center in chamber 3 and about five hours to return. The dive is difficult, requiring careful navigation of pitch-black, muddy water through stalactites and around sharp corners. Some passageways were so narrow that divers had to remove some equipment to get through them, while some have been widened to ease the passage. The saga of the missing team has gripped the nation as rescue efforts snowballed from a small local team to a multinational emergency response. Forces from the U.S. and Australia have arrived to support Thai authorities, as well as technical experts from the U.K., China, Japan and elsewhere. Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Contact us at letters@time.com.<doc-sep>MAE SAI, Thailand — A former Thai navy SEAL working as part of the effort to rescue a soccer team trapped in a cave died Friday from lack of oxygen, authorities said. SEAL commander Arpakorn Yookongkaew told a news conference Friday morning that the rescuer was working in a volunteer capacity. He died during an overnight mission in which he was placing oxygen canisters. Arpakorn said while underwater, the rescuer passed out and efforts to resuscitate him failed. “Despite this, we will continue until we accomplish our mission,” Arpakorn said. Thai authorities are racing to pump out water from a flooded cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23. More rains are forecast to hit the northern region. Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC.<doc-sep>A Navy SEAL working with an international rescue team to save a soccer team stuck in a cave in Thailand has died, local authorities said. The diver, identified as Saman Kunan, died from lack of oxygen at 1 a.m. on Friday. Thai SEALs have praised Kunan for volunteering to help the rescue efforts and said they will continue and "w on’t let our colleagues die for nothing." A former Thai Navy SEAL died early Friday while placing oxygen tanks in the cave where a Thai soccer team has been stuck for nearly two weeks. The volunteer diver, who has been identified as 38-year-old Saman Kunan, died from a lack of oxygen early around 1 a.m. on Friday morning. "His job was to deliver oxygen. He did not have enough on his way back," Chiang Rai Deputy Governor Passakorn Boonyaluck told reporters. "It was sad news." The former SEAL had been delivering oxygen along the cave in which 12 soccer players and their coach are located. On his return he lost consciousness, was found by his buddy and received first aid but subsequently died. Oxygen levels in the cave in Chiang Rai have dropped during the rescue effort, which rescuers have become concerned about. Shayanne Gal/Business Insider Each diver reportedly needs to carry three heavy oxygen tanks to the boys' cave but the path is treacherous, winding, and long, taking skilled divers around five hours each way. Despite the death, divers will continue to provide the soccer players with oxygen and the plan is still for the boys to swim out of the cave with divers. "We have to try everything," a spokesman quoted by The Guardian said when asked about the rescue plan for the boys. More than 100 Thai Navy SEALS are working on the rescue mission as well as divers from Australia, the US, UK, China, and other countries. Kunan's body has been sent to Bangkok and Thailand's king has announced the former SEAL will receive a royally-sponsored funeral. Thai SEAL commander Arpakorn Yookongkaew has said the tragedy won't stop the rescue mission. "We will soldier on," he said. "We won’t let our colleagues die for nothing." Thai Navy SEALS released a statement on Facebook on Friday praising their former colleague. When the rescue mission for the soccer team was announced a number of former SEALS in a group chat sent around the message "See you in Chiang Rai," according to a translation of the post by The Guardian.<doc-sep>A former Thai navy SEAL died early Friday morning trying to free a stranded soccer team from a cave in Thailand. Former Sgt. Saman Kunan, who was working as a volunteer alongside rescuers, died between 1 and 2 a.m. Friday local time. SEAL commander Arpakorn Yookongkaew said Kunan died placing oxygen canisters underwater along the route to the stranded boys. The Evening Standard notes this is the current method for replenishing air supply in the cave, where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23. Kunan passed out and efforts to resuscitate him failed. A Facebook profile remembering Kunan, 38, shows images of a fit man with an adventurous spirit — bicycling and racing, clad in athletic gear. After retiring as a navy SEAL, Kunan became a triathlete and worked as an airport security officer, according to The Standard. Thai soldiers and police officers paid respected to Kunan, as his coffin was loaded onto a Thai Navy plane at Chiang Rai International Airport in Chiang Rai on Friday. Officials said the diver would be given royally-sponsored funeral rites including a military funeral at the Satthahip Navy Base in Pattaya, and then in his hometown in the northern Thailand province of Roi Et. The navy is also seeking permission to posthumously promote Saman, who was a petty officer first class when he left the unit, Channel News Asia reports. "Despite this, we will continue until we accomplish our mission," Apakorn said. Thai authorities are racing to replenish oxygen in the cave, which is dipping to dangerously low levels because of the large number of rescue workers inside, Chiang Rai Gov. Narongsak Ossotthanakor said. They are also working to pump out water from the flooded cave, especially as more rain is forecasted for the region. More:Thai navy SEAL commander: 'Limited amount of time' left to rescue trapped soccer team More:An illustrated look at the Thai cave rescue More:Former Rescuer: Thai Cave Rescue Could be Fatal Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets<doc-sep>
The diver was taking supplies to the trapped boys and their coach. A former Thai navy SEAL died on Friday working to deliver supplies to the soccer team trapped in a cave in Thailand. The rescuer passed out and died from a lack of oxygen while on a mission supplying oxygen canisters, authorities told the Associated Press. SEAL commander Arpakorn Yookongkaew said at a news conference the rescuer was working as a volunteer and efforts to revive him failed, adding, "Despite this, we will continue until we accomplish our mission." The BBC identified the diver as 38-year-old Saman Gunan. His death was confirmed around 2 a.m. local time. A post to the Facebook page of the Thai navy SEALS mourning Gunan read in part: "He resigned from the military and had worked as a patrol officer at the Suvarnabhumi Airport since 2006. He was a very capable SEAL and a triathlete who liked adventure sports. Although he resigned from the unit, he still loved and had a good connection with all the SEALs. ... Even the last part of his life, 1st Petty Officer Saman left us and this world while working with the SEAL brothers who are also trying to go forward and complete the mission as planned. "His determination and good intention will always be in the heart of all SEAL brothers. Today, you get some good rest. We will complete the mission for you." The death of an experienced diver highlights just how difficult it may be to extract the 13 who are trapped. One escape plan called for having the boys scuba dive to safety. Authorities are trying to pump water from the flooded cave, in which 12 boys and their coach have been trapped since June 23. More rains are forecast for the region and could complicate further rescue efforts. "The environment inside the cave is challenging," Yookongkaew said. "We can no longer wait for all conditions [to be met] because circumstance is pressing us. We originally thought the boys can stay safe inside the cave for quite some time, but circumstances have changed. We have limited amount of time." ABC News' Joohee Cho, Matt Gutman, Aicha El Hammar, James Longman, Matt McGarry, Scott Shulman and Robert Zepeda contributed to this report.