Colin Tham The New Paper AsiaOne 4 Sep 14;
What was supposed to be a fun cycling trip on Pulau Ubin turned tragic when 38-year-old Alex Tan Kok Wai suddenly collapsed.
Mr Tan was with his colleagues for the cycling outing on Monday when, at around noon, he felt unwell.
He got off his bicycle to rest, but collapsed and started foaming at the mouth, reported Shin Min Daily News.
The Hewlett-Packard engineer lost consciousness soon after that.
He was brought back to the mainland in a police rescue boat and taken by ambulance to Changi General Hospital.
He died shortly after being admitted. The cause of death is unknown.
Police have classified the case as unnatural death and are investigating.
Mr Tan's 65-year-old father told Shin Min that he was shocked to hear of his son's death.
He became aware of his son's plans to go on the outing only that morning.
The storekeeper of a bike rental shop on Pulau Ubin, who wanted to be known only as Ah Kai, said the shop had received a booking for 40 bicycles a few days earlier from Mr Tan's group.
He said the group collected their bicycles at around 10am and returned at 2pm.
"I saw a person pushing two bicycles and went over to ask him what had happened," he said.
"They only told me that someone had collapsed."
Marriage registration records indicate that Mr Tan married his Malaysian wife in May last year, and they moved into a flat in Toa Payoh with his parents.
He has an older and a younger sister.
Clarence Yeo from Killiney Family and Wellness Clinic said precautions should be taken for group outings.
"In large group outings, the leader or organiser of the group should make the necessary preparations, and any member who may feel unwell should opt out of the activity," he said.
Dr Yeo added that the leader also needs to be aware of the areas where they can get quick medical attention in an emergency.
On how to deal with a case of sudden fainting, he said: "The person should first be taken to a safe place out of the way of traffic.
"If the victim is in a stable condition, he or she can be put into a recovery position."
Once this is done, call for further medical assistance.
