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(CNN) - A member of the Special Operations Forces of the Thai Navy (a SEAL) died from an infection he contracted during the bold rescue of 12 children and his football coach from a flooded cave in Thailand last year .
The Royal Navy of Thailand confirmed the death of Petty Officer Beirut Pakbara in a statement Friday.
WATCH: Young people rescued from cave in Thailand meet their heroes
“We are grieving for Sergeant Major Beirut Pakbara, the hero of the cave who died. The Royal Navy of Thailand wishes to express our deepest condolences to the Beirut family, ”the statement said.
Image of the video published by the Royal Thai Navy on July 11, 2018, in which rescue personnel are seen carrying a member of the Thai youth soccer team “Wild Boars” on a stretcher during the rescue operation within Tham Luang's cave in Khun Nam Nang.
Beirut contracted a blood infection during the rescue operation at Tham Luang Cave in northern Thailand. He had been seeking medical treatment for the past year, but his condition worsened after the infection entered his bloodstream, according to the Navy.
Twelve members of the Wild Boars youth soccer team and their coach entered Tham Luang's extensive network of caves on June 23 last year and were trapped when a downpour flooded the cave complex.
Petty Officer Beirut Pakbara was a member of the rescue team that saved 12 children and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in Thailand last year.
They could not navigate narrow passages, and rising water levels forced them to take refuge on a rocky ledge. The children were found two weeks later, in early July, but jubilation quickly gave way to the understanding that their rescue would be extremely dangerous.
LOOK: Diver who helped save the children from the cave in Thailand was trapped in a cave and had to be rescued
The world saw how a Thai Navy SEAL team and international cave diving experts led the mission to recover them, and finally evacuated the children one by one.
During the efforts, Saman Kunan, also an ex-SEAL of the Thai Navy, died when he returned from delivering oxygen tanks. An official said at the time that he ran out of air while underwater.
The last of the group, the coach, was successful on July 10.
CNN's Alla Eshchenko contributed to this report from Atlanta.
rescuers