Authorities find body of kayaker who went missing in Sentosa waters

SINGAPORE: The authorities confirmed yesterday (Oct 24) that the body of a 33-year-old woman who went missing while kayaking off Sentosa Island on Sunday (Oct 22) has been discovered. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) made the tragic discovery in the waters near Sentosa Island at 3 pm. Preliminary investigations have ruled out homicide, and the case remains under investigation.

The woman kayaking with a friend disappeared on Sunday after her kayak capsized and was swept away by the strong currents. The SCDF received a call for assistance at approximately 10:25 am on the same day, reporting a kayaker missing off the coast of Sentosa Island. Simultaneously, the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) also received a report of the missing kayaker and initiated search and rescue operations in collaboration with the Police Coast Guard and SCDF.

MPA dispatched patrol boats to conduct searches and issued radio broadcasts to alert nearby vessels to report any sightings related to the incident. The SCDF deployed a sea rescue vessel and Disaster and Rescue Team (DART) divers to assist in the search.

The woman was attempting to aid her friend, who was kayaking with her when their boats capsized. Friends of the kayaker, who revealed that the incident occurred between 9.30 am and 10 am, said that a male kayaker’s boat capsized first, and when the woman attempted to assist, her kayak also capsized, leading to both of them being swept away by the strong currents.

Two other fellow paddlers at the scene witnessed the incident and immediately sought assistance from the Coast Guard. Fortunately, the male kayaker was later rescued by a passing ship. But the woman’s whereabouts remained unknown, leading to an extensive search operation by the authorities.

Efforts to locate the missing woman involved multiple agencies before ultimately concluding with the tragic discovery of her body. Investigations are ongoing.