On Sunday (21 Aug), a 60-year-old man reportedly lost his footing and slipped into the Pandan River near Block 291E along Bukit Batok Street 24.
Although the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team were called in to search and rescue the fallen man, the four-and-a-half-hour search was eventually called off as there was no sign of the man.
Body Found in Pandan River
Then on Monday morning (22 Aug), Mr Rich Liow incidentally stumbled upon a body floating along the waters while he was on a kayaking expedition with his friends.
The group had initially planned to kayak from West Coast to Pulau Hantu, but decided to go through the Pandan River instead as they realised they did not have a safety boat to assist them in navigating the open seas.
While they were sailing on the river, Mr Liow noticed what he first assumed was a gunny sack floating on the water surface.
The 47-year-old sales manager said that he saw tattoos on the man’s back and his white hair after they got closer.
Then he remembered reading a piece of news that he read yesterday, where a man had purportedly fallen into the same river.
Hence, his group called the Police Coast Guard immediately.
In response to media enquiries, the police confirmed that they received a call for assistance at 9:57am on Monday.
The police stated that the body of a 60-year-old man was later taken out of the waters, and preliminary investigations show that there is no suspicion of foul play.
The man was also reported missing by his next-of-kin on the day of his accident.
The Body Retrieval
While Mr Liow’s group was waiting for the authorities to arrive, he mentioned that they had to guard against the otters that tried to approach the body.
The kayakers continued to stay at the scene to assist the police and SCDF, because they felt that it was their “duty to take care of the body” and ensure that it was safely delivered back to his family to give them a proper closure.
Along with his friends Mr Bernard Lim, 56, and Mr Chong Chee Voon, 59, the three of them helped to tow the body to land with a tandem kayak.
The group had availed their services after they discovered that their kayak was agile enough to navigate the river, which was rather narrow in some parts.
Mr Lim secured the body with a rope first and held onto it tightly while Mr Chong paddled the kayak across the shallow waters to reach the shore.
Although they were successful in the end, Mr Chong voiced that he was worried because they were using inflatable boats and they had a close shave with a metal structure at one point.
Nonetheless, they were committed to retrieving the body.
Mr Chong asserted, “But we knew what we had to do. Anyone would have done the same.”
Around noon, the group finally delivered the body to the local authorities.
Investigations are ongoing.
Featured Image: Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报