Singapore—The first of the victims of the Feb 13 Tanjong Pagar car crash was cremated on Wednesday afternoon (Feb 17).
Twenty-six-year-old Wilson Teo Qi Xiang was killed along with four friends in the early morning hours on Saturday at 37 Tanjong Pagar Road.
The BMW driven by Jonathan Long, 29, lost control and collided into a shophouse, bursting into flames seconds later. Mr Long’s fiancee, Ms Raybe Oh Siew Huey, 26, who had not been in the vehicle, tried to help the victims but was unsuccessful.
She sustained severe burns on 80 per cent of her body and is now fighting for her life at Singapore General Hospital.
The other victims were Eugene Yap, 29, Elvin Tan Yong Hao, 28, and Gary Wong Hong Chieh, 29.
A hearse decked with a portrait of Mr Teo was seen at the crash site on Wednesday afternoon. Later, a monk was present to conduct the last rites.
The casket was then brought to Mandai Crematorium, where Mr Teo was cremated at around 6.30pm. A report from straitstimes.com says that Mr Tan and Mr Yap will be cremated on Thursday (Feb 18).
The group had come from Ggang Tong, a Korean restaurant in Tanjong Pagar, on Feb 12 for a Chinese New Year celebration.
Mr Teo, Mr Tan and Mr Wong were reportedly needing a taxi or private-hire car so they could leave the area, according to Lianhe Zaobao. After they had waited for around 30 minutes, Mr Long allegedly offered to drive them to a place where it would be easier to get a ride.
Mr Yap told them that he also needed a ride in order to take the bus home.
Mr Long allegedly took them on a joyride on his BMW, speeding around the area several times, that went terribly wrong.
Mr Teo’s parents spoke to ST in an article published on Tuesday (Feb 16). His father said that his son had just turned 26 in December and did not even have a driver’s license.
The older Mr Teo, a school bus driver, told ST that when he saw the crash site he knew his son had died.
“My heart completely sank. I knew that was it. My son is gone. I had never thought something like this could happen. I completely broke down. I have lost something that is more important than my own life. I cannot accept it.”
Wilson Teo is survived by his father; mother, a part-time administrative worker; and his 24-year-old sister, Wileen.
The distraught mother said to ST, “I told the police, you must have got it wrong. How could he be in that car? He told me he was going to his friend’s house. He didn’t tell me he was going anywhere else.
He was so young. Such a good child and he is just gone like that. He went out one night and he never came back… I keep hoping this is not real. That night, we left our front door open, hoping he would come home and call me ‘mum’ once more. If he had come home, it would have all been fine.”
The family also told ST that the family declined an offer to hold a wake from senior officials from Aviva Financial Advisers, where the victim and his friends had worked.
”My child is gone. Anything that is said or given to us is useless,” said the elder Mr Teo.
/TISG
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