Singapore — A 47-year-old man accidentally drowned when he was swept out to sea on Saturday (Nov 6).
Despite valiant efforts to save the man by three other individuals who were fishing at that time, the man could not be resuscitated when he was brought to the shore at East Coast Park, near Enak Enak HongKong Tea House.
The incident occurred at about 11 o’clock in the evening.
A report from Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao says that the man was already packing up his fishing tackle when the waves swept him up.
The three other anglers saw him floating in the water and went into the water to rescue him, dragging him onto the shore.
A witness to the incident told Lianhe Wanbao that he heard a commotion while he was working, and saw a man in dark clothes lying unconscious on the shore, surrounded by others who were trying to revive him.
A spokesman from the Singapore Civil Defence Force said a call for help had been received that night.
The victim was taken to Changi General Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
And while the case is still under investigation, foul play is not suspected.
Lianhe Wanbao added that the man and his partner had been drinking while they were fishing. When it came time for them to go home, the man started gathering their fishing gear, which was scattered in different parts near the water.
He later ended up in the sea, however.
Last year, another man also drowned at East Coast Park while celebrating his 53rd birthday with his elder brother and the latter’s family. They were on a picnic at the park on Oct 11, 2020.
The outing took a dark turn when soon after the picnic had been set up, the man was nowhere to be found. The family became alarmed when someone who had seen the man earlier told them that he had not surfaced from the water in 15 minutes.
After searching for him proved difficult due to rough water conditions, the family called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for help at around 2.15 in the afternoon.
The SCDF deployed three teams to look for the missing man: Divers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team to search underwater, marine firefighters on board a Rapid Response Fire Vessel to reach the waters in the area and firefighters to carry out a visual search from the shore.
After three-and-a-half hours, as night approached, the search was stopped as a safety precaution.
The teams intended to resume the search at first light the next morning, but the man’s body was found floating in the water at 7.14 that night, said the SCDF.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic. /TISG
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