Case of suspected drowning at Clarke Quay, 2 bodies found

Singapore – Two bodies were found in the Singapore River near Clarke Quay on Sunday morning (Apr 18) in what appeared to be a case of suspected drowning.

Member of the public Rudy Ferragamo took to Facebook on Sunday to note “another case of people drowning at Clarke Quay”.

The Facebook user attached photos and noted that, at the time of posting, the two bodies had not been retrieved.

The police also confirmed the incident, noting they were alerted to a case of suspected drowning at 1.57 am near 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, which is where Clarke Quay Central is located.

A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) representative told The Straits Times that it received a call for a water rescue at about 2 am.

Upon arrival, its officers saw no signs of the missing persons.

SCDF’s Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) was also deployed to conduct an underwater search.

The team used an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to help search efforts. The equipment uses sonar imaging that maps out underwater terrain during search operations.

“This reduces risks for the divers due to poor visibility underwater and also reduces search time,” said the SCDF.

The bodies of two men, aged 26 and 28, were eventually found and retrieved by the divers.

SCDF paramedics pronounced both men dead at the scene.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play.

Investigations are ongoing.

In a separate incident, a 21-year-old man drowned after swimming with friends in Serangoon Canal on Mar 28. Divers from the DART team conducted an underwater search and retrieved a body about six metres from the shore at a depth of two metres./TISG

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