Drownings in Sungei Ulu Pandan

[hut hut hut!!]

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[Bitchy]

very sad very sad. the one where the teenagers were swept off is the Sungei Pandan which meets Sungei Ulu Pandan at about International Business Park.

But on the surface it really don't seem that dangerous. Well perhaps the under currents are strong.

[Nautilus]

So perhaps, there is now a reason why they want to impose 2-star cert requirements for paddlers who want to venture into that river.

Cahaya, what do you think about the currents, considering you have been there a couple of times before?

Then again Sungei Ulu Pandan and Sungei Pandan is 2 different river combining at the International Business Park before it flows out to sea beside Pandan Reservoir. Moreover, there is a barrier erected under vehicle bridge to prevent debris, rubbish and kayakers from being swept out to sea.

[Jerome]

April 23, 2007
Missing teen's body found


THE body of the missing teenage girl, Debra Koh, who was swept away in a canal on Sunday has been found.

The media was alerted at 1pm by the police about the location of the body. She was found in the open seas near the river mouth of Sungei Pandan.

The 14-year-old girl and three other friends were playing by the canal next to Block 182 Bukit Batok Avenue West 8 at about 3.30pm.

According to The New Paper, a bag that they had been tossing about fell into the canal and they decided to retrieve it.

The water level in the canal barely reached their ankles at that time.

However, it started to rain and the teens took shelter under a ledge formed by a slight overhang. They decided to make a dash for the bag when the rain showed no signs of letting up.

They retrieved the bag but stayed on to play in the water. Just as they were climbing out of the canal, a surge of water knocked them off their feet and carried them away on a sudden tide.

Debra and two friends - Leong Kim Weng, 14, and Toh Shi Hui, 13 - were swept away by a sudden current.

Police, with the help of several passers-by, managed to spot and rescue Kim Weng and Shi Hui near Block 408 Pandan Crescent about 1.5km downstream.

The other boy, 13-year-old Alson Chua, managed to struggle ashore 20 minutes after the freak accident.

All three teenagers were taken to the National University Hospital and warded. They were treated for cuts and bruises.

On Sunday, the Singapore Civil Defence Force deployed two amphibious vehicles and an inflatable raft combing the length of the canal in search of the missing girl. Police Coast Guard boats also searched the mouth of the canal.

The question is how her body got over the barrier into the open sea?

[Chelentan]

Body of teenage girl who fell into canal found
By Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 23 April 2007 1719 hrs

SINGAPORE : Police have found the body of the teenage girl who fell into the Sungei Pandan canal on Sunday afternoon.

The body of 13-year-old Debra Koh was discovered in the waters near Jalan Buroh Road, near Pandan Bridge on Monday.

The girl, along with three others, had been trying to retrieve a bag containing their mobile phones which had dropped into the water.

After less than 24 hours since she was reported missing, the body of Debra was found on Monday afternoon at about 1pm.

Debra and her three friends had entered the canal next to Block 182 Bukit Batok West Avenue 8, just before 4pm on Sunday, to retrieve a bag containing their mobile phones.

The two boys and two girls - all aged between 13 and 14 - were then swept downstream by strong currents.

One boy managed to swim to safety and was picked up near the International Business Park by a foreign worker.

A while later, the other two survivors, who were spotted between Jurong East and Clementi, were rescued by the Police and passers-by.

One of the boys recounted, "The water was very strong... and our heads all went into the water. (We couldn't) get out because the water was too strong. I got out and felt like I could not breathe..."

Debra was a student at Hillgrove Secondary School.

The school said it would be ready to provide emotional support for students affected by the tragedy.

The school's principal Yeow Lee Lin said, "My full-time school counsellor went in with me this morning. We spoke to 2A1, the form class where Debra came from and talked to the pupils about it, and our teachers will also be paying attention to their reactions and if there is a need, we will provide the support and counselling for the students."

There is now a sombre silence in Debra's classroom; her empty desk will no doubt remind others of a tragedy which could have been avoided. - CNA/ms

__________

Rest in peace Debra.

This further illustrates the importance of safety near water, especially with PUB opening up so many water ways to public access.

[Chase]

It is especially ironic when there was this new national water safety council that was just being formed. Too little too late for little Debra.

http://app.mcys.gov.sg/WEB/sprt_towards_watersafety.asp

[cahayabulan]

I just blog about this sad news....

When it rain the water flow at drains leading to SUP can reached up to 10km/hr or more. For paddlers this is fun, but for people w/o water knowledge or swimming ability, potentially very dangerous.

The body must have been washed under the floating barrier...

I think setting up the Water Safety Council is timely, given that even paddlers like us may not be aware of the water safety.

[Nautilus]

Just read your blog about the PFD issue. I always put the vest aside during my dragonboat training but will always don it dutifully when I go down to MacRitchie Reservoir.

I guess the difference being, the possibility of capsizing in a dragonboat is very close to zero in the sheltered waters around Kallang Basin. Not that I have never experienced it before! However, capsizing is so much a part and parcel of sprint kayaking that no kayaker will dispute wearing PFD at all.

The reason probably lie in perceived 'margin of safety', just to coin Cahayabulan's blog. We probably only do things under imminent situation of threat but chose to ignore protocols when we 'feel' we are relatively safe.

Well, considering the advent of the National Water Safety Council and the recent spate of drownings, we will be expecting tougher regulations to protect our own lives, since gut-feels are so very subjective.

[merman]

we would be surprised at the number of non-swimmers in Singapore, considering we are an island nation and has swimming complexes in most major housing estates.

[KahiroSamo]

Rest in peace....