Wild Boars mark cave ordeal with religious rites

Ode to a hero: A member of the Wild Boars football team placing flowers in front of a statue of Saman Gunan, the Thai navy diver who died during the rescue, in Chiang Rai. — AFP

MAE SAI (Thailand): The 12 young Thai soccer players and their coach who grabbed global attention last year when they were trapped in a flooded cave for more than two weeks marked the anniversary of their ordeal with a religious ceremony.

The boys who became known as the Wild Boars, their soccer club, took part in a Buddhist ceremony in which they gave food to monks to make merit. They then attended a news conference to talk about their lives over the past year.