The Australian diver and doctor critical to the dramatic rescue of 12 Thai boys trapped in a partially submerged cave has opened up about his “bittersweet” return from Thailand.
Dr Richard “Harry” Harris played a key part in the rescue of the “Wild Boars” soccer team and their coach last week and was the last diver out of the flooded Tham Luang cave system.
But the successful rescue operation took a toll on the Australian, who learned his father had died shortly after he emerged from the cave.
He briefly spoke with the media outside his Adelaide home on Saturday afternoon, saying he was glad to be back among friends and family.
Dr Richard Harris was a critical part of the rescue operation. Source: AAP
“Sadly my father died at the end of the rescue which was a bit of a bittersweet moment and that’s why I’ve been very grateful for everyone respecting my privacy while I’m dealing with that with my family and just trying to get back to normal life as fast as possible,” he said.
“I’m hoping to get back to work and go through the funeral and celebrate dad’s life and get everything back to normal as quickly as possible.”
Dr Richard Harris speaks to the media outside his Adelaide home. Source: Nine Network
Dr Harris’ father, renowned vascular surgeon James Harris, died shortly after the successful rescue.
“It is with great sadness that I confirm that Harry’s dad passed away last night a short time after the successful rescue operation in Thailand,” MedSTAR director of clinical services Dr Andrew Pearce said in a statement on Wednesday.
Dr Harris praised the dedicated, international, team that carried out the 17-day rescue operation, calling them “an amazing bunch of people to work with”.
Craig Challen and Richard Harris - the pair are hoping to get back to normal life. Source: AAP
Last week, he published a heart-warming Facebook account of the rescue and thanked his diving partner Craig Challen.
“I wanted to write this to try and give credit to all the people who were in some way involved. Craig and I have had a spotlight on our efforts and we want to make everyone realise that while we might have become the face of this rescue for some reason, everyone should know that the role we played was no more or less important than all the many hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people I have mentioned,” he said.
“The part we played has been made out to be a lot more noble than it actually was, we just consider ourselves lucky to have had some skills that we could contribute to the wonderful outcome.”
The boys – aged between 11 and 16 – and their 25-year-old coach are now recovering in hospital and are expected to be released on Thursday.
The boys smile and wave while recovering in hospital. Source: AP
The team had planned to explore the cavern complex for about an hour, following soccer practice on June 23.
But heavy rains flooded the tunnels behind them, trapping the group deep inside the cave complex.
The team’s disappearance sparked a massive search and rescue effort before two British divers found them on July 2, several kilometres inside the complex.
The last of the "Wild Boars" are pulled from Thailand's Tham Luang cave. Source: AAP
Rescue authorities dubbed the two British divers, Dr Harris and Mr Challen the “awesome foursome” for their work inside the flooded caves.
One of the British divers Richard Stanton told reporters the mission was "an order of difficulty much higher than anything that's been accomplished anywhere around the world by any other cave diving team".
A nail-biting three-day mission to rescue the boys in groups ended successfully on July 10.
In a meticulously planned extraction, the boys put on wetsuits and diving gear before being sedated, put on stretchers and pulled or carried out through submerged passageways and up steep slopes inside the mountain.
Mental health experts have warned of the long-term effects of being trapped in the dark with no food, especially in the first nine days before they were found by the pair of British divers.
T hai authorities have only released partial information about the bold operation to free the team, heavily restricting access to the boys and their families.
