A tragic incident unfolded off the coast of East Coast Park, where a 28-year-old man is believed to have drowned on December 21. His body was located nearly seven hours after the initial alarm was raised.
According to information provided by the police in response to inquiries from The Straits Times, authorities were notified of a potential drowning at 11:55 AM. Shortly thereafter, at around noon, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received a distress call requesting assistance for a water rescue.
Upon their arrival, firefighters conducted a thorough visual search from the shore. The SCDF reported that divers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) engaged in an underwater search in the vicinity where the individual was last seen. Additionally, marine firefighters aboard a rescue vessel scoured the nearby waters in their efforts to locate the man.
Around 6:40 PM, rescuers from the SCDF were able to recover a body from the shoreline. Tragically, the police confirmed that the man was declared dead at the scene by a paramedic from the SCDF.
A user on the social media platform Xiaohongshu posted a video on the same day, depicting the presence of police and SCDF vehicles in the area around noon. The footage showed that officers had cordoned off a significant section of the park, while divers and a rescue boat worked diligently in the water. In the video, at least two police cars, an ambulance, and an SCDF vehicle were visible, with some officers interacting with a group of people at a pavilion within the secured area.
Initial investigations have indicated that there is no evidence of foul play, according to police reports. However, inquiries are still ongoing as authorities seek to piece together the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate event.
