SCDF rescues boy and his grandfather who were swept out to sea at East Coast Park

Singapore—On Sunday evening (Mar 15) a young boy and his grandfather  were swept out to sea at East Coast Park during high tide. 

Fortunately, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was able to rescue the pair. The incident happened shortly after 6pm.

A video of the incident was posted on Twitter a few hours later by a netizen going by the name KASHMIR @Shaikkong, which came from rapper Yung Raja, who was heard saying that both the Police and the SCDF arrived within minutes of the boy and his grandfather being swept out to sea.

kita bukan main tembak air jer eh?? the current was really strong pic.twitter.com/KNA0DGTgMh

— KASHMIR (@Shaikkong) March 15, 2020

Two heads can be seen bobbing some meters away from shore as a crowd gathered to watch.

The narrator in the video said the two could not move closer to shore because of the waves.

A police boat can be seen in the background, seemingly unable to come too close to the boy and his grandfather. 

“Shoutout to the SCDF and the Police,” the narrator says. “Wow,” as a rescuer bringing a lifebouy swims out to the pair.

On the beach, the crowd was growing bigger and bigger.

“They got the boy!” the narrator is heard saying, “They got him!” As the crowd claps and cheers.

The narrator yells, “Thank you,” as more rescuers approach the boy, who looks quite young, perhaps around 6 or 7 years old, possibly even younger. A rescuer carries him in his arms up the beach, looking unharmed, and carrying a green lifesaver.

In the background, other rescuers help the boy’s grandfather out of the water.

According to AsiaOne, the incident was also documented on Instagram stories by Yung Raja.

The rapper said that the boy had drifted into the sea, and when his grandfather attempted to rescue him, they were both carried away by the strong tide.

The SCDF told AsiaOne that they rescued two individuals from the sea at East Coast Park on Sunday night, having been alerted to a water rescue incident earlier.

The boy and his grandfather were brought to the hospital by paramedics upon being rescued.

Netizens thanked the SCDF for their heroic efforts.

While others emphasized how dangerous the sea can get

One netizen suggested that jet skis be used by beach lifeguards, as this would facilitate a faster rescue than waiting for the police or SCDF.

—/TISG