Chinese national drowns in Changi Beach

Today Online 25 May 09;

IN AT LEAST the third drowning in a week, the body of a Chinese national who went missing in the water at Changi Beach yesterday was found after a six-hour search.

The man, a factory worker in his early 20s, apparently went missing at about 1pm yesterday. According to eye-witnesses, he had been struggling before disappearing underwater.

Singapore Civil Defence Force officers began the search at sea and on the beach. After three hours, the search was turned over to Naval divers and the Police. The body was recovered by the divers at about 7.10pm.

Friends who had been with the victim at the beach told Today that they had all been snapping photos together while standing waist-deep in the water. According to colleague Ang Lian Kwee, 64, who had been swimming about 100 metres away, he saw the man — who apparently could not swim — floating face downshortly after.

“When I swam closer, I saw him go under the water,” said Mr Ang. “I swam over and tried to kick around and see if he was underwater but I couldn’t find him.”

Police have classified the case as an unnatural death and are investigating. LIN YANQIN, WEE TECK HIAN

Chinese national who went missing after swimming in Changi Beach has been found
Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia 24 May 09;

SINGAPORE : A Chinese national, who went missing after an outing with his friends at Changi Beach on Sunday afternoon, has been found. He was pronounced dead by paramedics on Sunday evening.

Channel NewsAsia understands that earlier Sunday afternoon, the man was swimming 10 metres away from the shore, and was in waters only as high as his chest, when he struggled and went underwater.

That is when his friends, who were not swimming at that time, called for help.

Twenty SCDF officers, including DART members, searched for him. The waters were murky and had strong undercurrents.

They covered half a kilometre away along the shoreline, and 50 metres from the shoreline. They had also searched on land.

After some four hours, the SCDF had handed over search operations to the Naval Diving unit and the police. - CNA/ms

China national drowns in sea off Changi Beach
Factory worker, 20, was non-swimmer; third drowning case in a week
Teh Joo Lin, Straits Times 25 May 09;

A CHINESE national drowned in the sea off Changi Beach yesterday afternoon in the third drowning incident here in a week.

Mr Lin Zhong, a 20-year-old who worked in a furnishings factory, was said to be with three colleagues in chest-deep water just off the shore when he went under.

It is unclear how much time elapsed before another co-worker discovered that Mr Lin, who could not swim, had disappeared. No one heard any cries for help.

The colleague, Mr Ang Lian Kwee, 64, said he was swimming towards the shore when he saw a head bobbing in the water. Soon after, it disappeared.

He raised the alarm, sparking a search mission by police boats, amphibious vehicles and rescue divers. The body was recovered six hours later after being spotted by a beach-goer just before nightfall.

Mr Ang told The Straits Times that he had taken the group of four Chinese workers to the beach - their first time there - yesterday around noon.

They stripped down to their swimming shorts and played in the water about 2m from the shore, while Mr Ang swam out farther.

At about 1pm, Mr Ang was about 35m out and facing the beach when he saw a head of black hair drifting away.

He jerked his head towards the group and realised there were only three men - who were taking photos - near the shore.

He quickly swam towards Mr Lin, but his head vanished when he was 3m or 4m away. 'I swam there and groped and kicked everywhere but I couldn't feel him anywhere in the water,' he said in Mandarin.

Mr Ang screamed at his colleagues and beach-goers for help.

Mr Baskkaran Venkatesan, a 29-year- old air-conditioning technician, was building a sandcastle with his five-year- old son when he heard the cries. He said one of the workers tried calling Mr Lin on his mobile phone in the hope that he had left the water without their knowledge.

Another worker approached volunteer lifeguard Patrick Leong, 45, who paddled around in his canoe searching for Mr Lin while waiting for the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force to arrive. Navy divers later joined in the search.

As the search continued, Mr Lin's friends sat on the beach staring at the waters in disbelief.Mr Lin's friends were so shocked they could hardly speak about the incident.

A friend who arrived at the scene said Mr Lin came to Singapore to work about a year ago after finishing college in China. He had no relatives here.

The search came to an end at around 7pm, when a man walking along the beach spotted a body in the water about 100m away from where Mr Lin was believed to have gone under.

Mr Nor Baidin Khalidin, a 59-year- old retired police officer, said he heard about the drowning when he arrived at the beach.

'Soon after, I saw a body face down in the water. I waited a while to make sure it was not a swimmer...then I ran to tell the police,' he said.

The drowning occurred during high tide. Mr Leong said the currents in the area were not especially strong. However, while non-swimmers may not find themselves straying too far from shore, they may panic if they suddenly step on a soft spot on the seabed and do not know how to react, he added.

Shaking his head, Mr Ang said he knew the Changi Beach area well and added: 'I don't understand how he could have drowned.'

Last Tuesday, a 35-year-old man drowned while fishing in 5m-deep Jurong Lake. Three days later, a canoe instructor of the same age drowned while coaching students at MacRitchie Reservoir.

The police are investigating the latest case as an unnatural death.

He sank in water, so I tried to reach him with feet
Elysa Chen, The New Paper 26 May 09;

EVERYTHING was perfect.

The waves were gentle, the weather was good, and his friends were nearby, taking photos in waist-deep water.

No one saw 20-year-old Lin Zhong, a Chinese national, struggle for help in chest-deep waters.

No one heard him shouting.

In fact, there were no signs of distress.

Mr Lin, who came to Singapore about a year ago, had gone to Changi Beach around noon yesterday with his colleagues from an interior furnishings factory.

By the time one of them spotted his head bobbing in the water - one hour after they arrived - it was too late.

Mr Ang Lian Kwee, 64, who had taken the group of four Chinese nationals - including Mr Lin - to the beach, was baffled.

Speaking in Mandarin, he said: 'It's inexplicable. How could he have suddenly sunk into the water like that?'

Mr Ang, who was heading back to the shore after a 15-minute swim, said he sensed something amiss when he saw Mr Lin's head bobbing face-down in the water.

He immediately swam towards Mr Lin. But just before Mr Ang could reach him, Mr Lin sank into the water.

Mr Ang said: 'I tried kicking (in the water), in the hope of touching him with my feet. But it was too late.

'He was floating face-down and wasn't struggling, so I think he must have drowned even before I saw him.'

Screamed

He screamed to the other colleagues who were about 30m away for help, but they could not find Mr Lin.

Spotting a lifeguard on patrol in a canoe, Mr Ang quickly asked him for help.

Volunteer lifeguard Patrick Leong, 45, mobilised eight lifeguards who were on duty with him yesterday.

He dived into the water to search for Mr Lin while the other lifeguards searched on the surface.

Mr Leong said: 'The visibility was very poor, so I was reaching out with my hands, hoping to grab something, anything.'

Mr Lin's friend from the same village - Xinghua in Fujian province - appeared visibly shaken.

He said: 'We were playing near the shore. I don't know how he drowned.'

Mr Baskaran Venkatesan, 29, a technician who was at the beach with his family, was roped in to help by Mr Ang.

He recalled: 'I was playing with my son on the beach when the uncle came, and asked for help in finding the man.

'They started shouting his name, and looked like they were in a panic. Everyone 'gabra' (Malay for panic) already.'

Mr Baskaran added that he did not enter the water to search for the missing man as it was high tide then, and he was not a good swimmer.

When The New Paper arrived at around 3pm, a long police line stretched across half of the coastline.

Rescue operations were in full swing.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force deployed several vehicles, while the Disaster Assistance Rescue Team (Dart) searched a 500m stretch of the beach.

Behind the blue and white police line, however, the crowd appeared oblivious - families were enjoying picnics, couples were setting up tents, and children were buying ice cream.

Mr Chew Kok Leong, 45, a contractor who was at the beach with his wife and three daughters, said: 'We originally wanted to swim and play by the beach. But we cannot go down now. Safety comes first.'

After six hours, Mr Lin's body was eventually found at around 7pm yesterday.

Mr Norbaidin Khalidin, 59, found the body while on his daily walk by the beach.

The retired policeman, who lives in Simei, found out about the drowning when he reached the beach at 6pm for a walk.

About 500m away from the search area, he saw a motionless body floating face-down.

He said: 'I thought it was just someone playing in the water at first, but when I saw that it was not moving, I thought, 'This is the body.'

He informed the naval divers.

By then, the area near the body was almost deserted.

He added: 'I'm lucky to have seen the body. Other people have been diving for six hours, but still haven't found him.

'I just got to the beach, and I found the body on my walk.'