Pinetown old boy joins Thai rescue team
The rescue efforts which captured the attention of the world saw one experienced diver, Thai Navy Seal, Samam Kunan, lose his life while helping to set the scene for the rescue.
LEANDRO Nicolas Gerardo, who attended Pinetown Boys’ High School (PBHS), was a member of the team involved in helping to rescue the Thai Football children and their coach trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand.
The rescue efforts which captured the attention of the world saw one experienced diver, Thai Navy Seal, Samam Kunan, lose his life while helping to set the scene for the rescue.
Dwayne Saunders, a friend of Gerardo who also attended PBHS, said he was extremely proud of this humble diver who he described as “one of my best mates”.
The boys and their coach had been in the cave for 16 days before the first four boys were rescued.
The work would have challenged even the most experienced divers. According to reports, the only case previously which has even come close to being similar in its level of difficulty, was an accident in 2010 when 33 miners were trapped 700m underground for 69 days in San Jose mine, Chile.
A multi-national group of advanced divers from as far afield as the UK joined the Thai Navy in their rescue attempts, a group which included Gerardo, who was born in Argentina but grew up in Pinetown.
He now lives in Bangkok, where he reportedly heard about the ordeal and immediately took time off work to fly over to volunteer as a rescue diver.
Saunders explained in a post he shared on Facebook that the team were in charge of chamber 3, a section 2,5km into the cave with hazardous caverns.
He said the team was tasked with passing oxygen bottles to the boys. Rescuers strapped the boys into stretchers with masks covering their faces through which they received oxygen.
“Once again to you and all involved my Boy, you are true legends! My prayers go out to the whole football team, coach and especially the family of the Navy Seal that gave his life to saving them,” wrote Saunders in his social media praise of his school friend.
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Highway Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts.
