Pathum Thani Governor Narongsak Osatanakorn, who had led a heroic global mission to help save young footballers stranded in a flooded cave, died on Wednesday at the age of 58.

In 2018, 12 boys from the same football team decided to spend an afternoon with their coach exploring the Tham Luang caves in northern Thailand. When heavy rain flooded the caves, what was supposed to be a fun excursion turned into a massive international rescue operation that transfixed the world.