21YO Drowned in Serangoon Canal While Swimming at 5am; Body Found 6m From Shore

Last Updated on 2021-03-30 , 11:08 am

A 21-year-old man had drowned in a canal in Serangoon on Sunday, 28 March, in the early hours of the morning.

As reported by Lianhe Wanbao, the young man had gone swimming with his friends at around 5:00 am at the canal next to Block 477C at Upper Serangoon Cresent.

The victim’s friends did not hear any shouting or signs of distress during the incident.

After realising that he had gone missing, they alerted the police at around 5:45 am.

The victim’s father was shocked. He was unaware that his son had gone out to swim at 5:00 am. He rushed to the scene after being notified by the police past 7:00 am.

No Signs of the Victim

The Singapore Civil Defence Force had received a call for assistance at around 5:45 am on Sunday for water rescue assistance at the canal underneath the junction of Upper Serangoon Road and Buangkok Drive.

However, there were no signs of the victim when help arrived.

Divers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) and an underwater Remotely-Operated Vehicle (ROV) were also deployed. The latter aided in the search by using sonar-imaging equipment to map out the underwater terrain.

The two divers then retrieved a body 6m from shore, at a depth of 2m.

The victim was then pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic.

22YO Sergeant Saves Drowning 3YO

Though water bodies can be dangerous, some brave folks have stepped up to save others from precarious situations.

Sgt Al Asyraf had been off duty in a hotel’s swimming pool on 27 February 2021 when he noticed something strange.

Apparently, he saw “something pink underwater that was not moving for seven to 10 seconds”.

Sensing something amiss, he approached closer and saw “arms and legs”.

He immediately leapt in and retrieved a drowning three-year-old girl.

Once she was out of the water, her onrushing father hurried to set her down on a nearby bench.

But she was not out of danger yet.

With no pulse and no breathing activity, the girl was evidently still stranded in a life-threatening situation, and the sergeant had to do what he does best again:

Saving mankind. Or girlkind in this case.

He reportedly commenced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on her and breathed a sigh of relief when she began spewing water.

He, alongside the girl’s father, then continued performing CPR to “pump water out of her system”. The valiant act lasted until six minutes later when the ambulance arrived in the nick of time.

For his efforts, he was rewarded with the prestigious Community Lifesaver Award. He has since expressed hopes that the act will inspire more to do the same.

Featured Image: Google Maps