​British Hero Cave Diver Praised For Helping Rescue Thai Boys

In the wake of the incredible rescue of the 12 Thai boys and their football coach from the caves in northern Thailand, many stories beginning to emerge about the heroes behind the complex and extremely ambitious operation.

Saving the group proved something of a global effort, involving Thai authorities, Aussie divers and many more.

That also includes a diver from Yorkshire, who has been praised for his work in helping bring the boys to safety.

Jason Mallinson, the dad of an 18-month-old boy who hails from Huddersfield, took part in all three of the dives that brought the boys out from the flooded caves, the Huddersfield Examiner reports.

In a statement, the parents of the 50-year-old, Ray and Anne Mallinson, said: "We are very proud of Jason. He went out on Wednesday with half a tonne of equipment.

"We know he is one of the four British lead divers that brought them out.

"They know each other really well. The whole family is very proud of him."

PA

Mum Ann added: "We knew Jason was going on the Tuesday before he flew out. We have not had much contact with him but we do know that he has done three trips to bring the boys out.

"All the rescue divers are very modest, they do not get any financial reward. They love their jobs and are prepared to take the risks despite knowing how dangerous it is."

Lord Ashcroft has now called for those involved in the rescue operation to be awarded with a George Cross or George Medal, taking to Twitter to see if the public backed him.

Unsurprisingly, people are completely with him, with the tweet racking up 7,500 retweets already.

One person commented: "It would appear that true super heroes don't wear capes after all they seem to be wearing scuba gear these days!"

The youngsters and their coach had been stuck in the cave since 23 June, after rising water levels trapped within the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex in Chiang Rai. They were discovered by a team of British divers on Monday, prompting an urgent, meticulously-planned rescue operation.

They have now all been rescued and, although it's early days, reports suggest that the boys are in 'good health' following their ordeal.

Topics: World News, UK News, News, Inspirational, Thailand, UK

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman