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‘I felt I was going to die’: survivor of dragon boat accident

Darren Tan (above) described the narrow escape from the murky waters of Tonle Sap river as a ‘near death’ experience, he said that was when he felt he was ‘going to die’. — PHOTO: NP FOR more than 10 seconds, national dragon boat rower Darren Tan, 20, was trapped under a tugboat after the Singapore team’s boat capsized as it was trying to dock at the pontoon after their race at the Cambodia’s water festival last Friday.Those seconds seemed like an eternity as he lost his orientation in the 10-metre deep water. He could not swim as the force of the water was swirling around him in circles. His arms were flying uncontrollably and his right hand hit a limb, but he could not be sure whose it was. Mr Tan also swallowed three mouthfuls of muddy water, choked, and ran out of air. Describing the narrow escape in the murky water of Tonle Sap river as a ‘near death’ experience, he said that was when he felt he was ‘going to die’. Luckily, he swam up ‘at the right moment’ and managed to hit the surface. In an interview with The New Paper, Mr Tan recounted the harrowing moments of last Friday’s tragic accident on Tonle Sap River in Phnom Penh, which claimed the lives of five of his rowing teammates. The bodies of Mr Chee Wei Cheng, 20, Mr Jeremy Goh Tze Xiong, 24, Mr Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 31, Mr Poh Boon San, 27, and Mr Reuben Kee En Rui, 23, were recovered after a 40-hour search on Sunday and brought home in a military plane on Monday night. Series of events Recalling the accident, Mr Tan told The New Paper that their boat was passing by the pontoon to dock when it swerved towards it and collided with a tugboat near the pontoon. It also hit the pontoon, which is the size of a basket ball court. Eyewitness said a sudden swirling wave then hit the boat and pushed it towards the pontoon, causing the boat to tilt to the right. The collision with the stationary tugboat caused the 500-kg Singapore dragon boat to spin towards the pontoon. As it was about to hit the pontoon, the rowers tried to use their hands to push against it, said TNP. ‘But in doing so, they pushed the dragon boat downwards causing water to flood the boat. That eventually made the boat sink,’ said Mr Surash Raman Mukundan, secretary-general of the Singapore Dragon Boat Association. Mr Tan was among 10 paddlers who were sucked into the swirling waters under the concrete pontoon after the dragon boat capsized. Five of them re-emerged at the far end of the pontoon. The other five did not make it. The remaining 12 were immediately picked up by boats in the vicinity. Mr Tan said that as the boat began to capsize, some rowers on the front left grabbed onto the tyres along the pontoon to try to climb out. He hit the hull of the tugboat and was forced under the water. After struggling for more than 10 seconds without air, he found his way to the surface – swept by the current to the other end of the tugboat. When he surfaced, a teammate caught hold of him and pulled him towards a tyre, which he quickly grabbed. At that same moment, he saw a teammate floating pass him. He reach out in time to grab the rower by his singlet, his other hand still holding the tyre. ‘You would normally float in a swimming pool. But the water there doesn’t allow you to float,’ Mr Tan told The New Paper. Treacherous Tonle Sap Mr Khieu Kanharith, a spokesman for the Cambodian government, said the course on which the annual dragon boat races are held is a particularly treacherous stretch of the Tonle Sap River, and specific preparation is necessary before navigating it. The Singaporean team was apparently warned of this and advised not to approach the pontoon on that side of the river. Dr Nhim Vanda, vice-president of the National Committee for Disaster Management in Phnom Penh, said that traditional Cambodian boats that take up to 85 men can withstand such conditions, but not the smaller 22 man boat the Singaporeans were in. He said that at 5.25 pm last Friday, when the tragedy occured, the current was very strong and the waters in the area were prone to whirlpools and downward rips. The Singaporean rowers were not wearing safety vests during the race. But some seasoned rowers said that even if they were, it might not have made a difference as the victims were dragged under the pontoon.

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SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has expressed his deepest gratitude to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for his government’s help in the dragon boat tragedy.

Mr Lee thanked the Cambodian government for its massive search and rescue operation, and for helping bereaved families and injured team members.

He said Cambodian officials worked closely with staff from the Singapore Embassy and went out of their way to extend their full assistance and cooperation.

He said this was a reflection of the very close and strong ties between Singapore and Cambodia.

Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni has also sent a letter to President S.R. Nathan to extend his “ sincere condolences and profound sympathy” to the families of the five Singapore national dragon boaters who lost their lives in the tragic accident.

In his letter, the King said his people shared in “ the sufferings of the people of Singapore” . – CNA/ac/de

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/313870/1/.html

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — The bodies of five Singaporean rowers who drowned during Cambodia’s weekend Water Festival boat races will be repatriated late Monday, officials said.

“ The bodies will be flown back to their homes late Monday by a Singaporean plane,” said Nhim Vanda of Cambodia’s National Disaster Management Committee.

The five died after their boat capsized as it tried to dock on Phnom Penh’s Tonle Sap river after competing Friday in the first day of the annual races.

Their bodies were recovered Sunday after a search that involved hundreds of people, including Singaporean navy divers.

Seventeen other crew members were hospitalised after the accident, which was caused when strong river currents swamped the long, narrow dragon boat.

None of the crew was wearing a life jacket.

“ It was an unfortunate accident,” Nhim Vanda told AFP.

Singapore’s foreign ministry named the victims as Chee Wei Cheng, Jeremy Goh Tze Xiong, Stephen Loh Soon Ann, Reuben Kee En Rui and Poh Boon San.

Relatives of the dead, who arrived in Cambodia Saturday as searchers scoured the river, visited the scene of the accident and joined Cambodian officials for a memorial service Sunday evening at Phnom Penh’s Calmette Hospital.

Nhim Vanda also said at least one Cambodian drowned during the weekend races, which draw millions of spectators, holidaymakers and participants to Phnom Penh.

More than 440 boats, including a number of foreign crews, entered this year’s races. Ten nations in Southeast Asia had boats competing in the colourful event.

Accidents are common during the boat races, which involve dragon boats crewed by as many as 70 rowers competing against each other in the sometimes choppy waters in front of Phnom Penh’s royal palace.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gcwSy1D6aWHUlse1B2rn3e-2ymVA

SINGAPORE: The bodies of the five Singaporean rowers who died in a dragon boat accident in Cambodia will be brought home by a military plane on Monday evening.

The dead are 20-year-old Chee Wei Cheng, 24-year-old Jeremy Goh Tze Xiong, 31-year-old Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 23-year-old Reuben Kee En Rui and 27-year-old Poh Boon San.

Their bodies were found on Sunday morning, two days after their dragon boat capsized in the Tonle Sap River in Phnom Penh during the annual Cambodia-ASEAN Traditional Boat Race.

Singapore Ambassador to Cambodia Tan Yee Woan said some family members of the five victims will also be on the plane.

As for the rest of the family members, they will be back on a SilkAir flight on Monday night.

The 17 members of the dragon boat team who were rescued in the accident would fly back on a commercial flight in the afternoon, together with the president of the Dragon Boat Association, Kwek Siew Jin.

At about 7.45am, en route to the airport, they stopped at the accident site to offer prayers. Some family members of the five victims were also there to perform rites. – CNA/ir

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/313762/1/.html

By Hasnita A. Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 26 November 2007 0326 hrs

	Photos 1 of 1 Rescuers retriving the body of a Singapore rower in Cambodia.

SINGAPORE : Singapore officials in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, are working with family members and the Cambodian authorities on the repatriation of the bodies of the five men who died in a dragon boat accident at the Tonle Sap River on Friday.At this point, it is still not clear when the bodies will be brought home.

Channel NewsAsia understands that the authorities are exploring the possibility of transporting the bodies home through non-commercial flights.

Some family members of the five men have said they want to go to the site of the accident to perform some rites or offer prayers before they head home.

The bodies of the five men were found on Sunday morning, two days after their dragon boat capsized in the annual Cambodia-ASEAN Traditional Boat Race.

The body of Chee Wei Cheng was found first at about 7.50 on Sunday morning, followed by that of Jeremy Goh near to the accident area.

The bodies of Stephen Loh, Poh Boon San and Reuben Kee were washed further downstream a few kilometres away, and were found near a small island off the Tonle Sap River, in the late morning the same day.

All were found by Cambodians.

Meanwhile, the family members were visibly distressed and distraught when they came to identify the bodies of the five men at the mortuary of Calmette Hospital in Phnom Penh.

Parents and siblings of the men broke down several times especially when they had to identify their loved ones. One mother did not want to see her son’s body, so she would not have to remember him that way.

Counsellors from Singapore were on hand to help them overcome their grief and come to grips with the grim reality.

The families of the dead men all said they were very passionate and avid sportsmen.

Rower Stephen Loh’s father, 64-year-old Victor Loh, said his son even gave up an engineering career to pursue his love for sports.

Stephen, the second in the family of three boys, was a Physical Education teacher at National Junior College.

The elder Mr Loh said his son had plans to take up sports science, describing his son as “ very focused” .

The brother of Jeremy Goh, who did not want to be named, said his brother enjoyed the team spirit that dragon boating offered. He also described his brother as a very caring and good brother.

The rest of the team’s 17 rowers are expected to leave Cambodia for Singapore on Monday morning. – CNA/de

By Joyce Lim
November 26, 2007 

IT has been more than 24 hours since his son went missing under the choppy waters of the Tonle Sap River in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Poh Boon San, 27. Engineer, graduated from NTU in July.

And there is still no news of him, or any of the other four Singapore dragon boat rowers who disappeared when their boat capsized two days ago.

Even though he is hoping fervently that his son will be found alive, MrPoh Bock Tho is prepared for the worst.

‘I think there’s no more hope,’ the 66-year-old said in Mandarin when The New Paper on Sunday visited him at his flat in Yishun.

A relative who was with the family said: ‘We’re waiting for a miracle to happen.’

HOPING FOR MIRACLE

Glancing at his wife who was sobbing uncontrollably behind him, Mr Poh shook his head and added: ‘Of course, I hope for a miracle to happen. We can only wait.

‘My son’s a very strong swimmer. He was with the Navy when he served his National Service. He’s a sporty person who loves outdoor activities. He runs a lot too.’

His son, Mr Poh Boon San, was among 22 rowers from Singapore who took part in a traditional dragon boat race which drew millions of spectators to the Cambodian capital. Teams from South-east Asia were in the race which was part of a three-day event to celebrate Cambodia’s annual water festival.

The boat Mr Poh was in reportedly hit swirling currents and flipped.

The New Paper on Sunday understands that after reaching the finishing line, the rowers had decided to row back to the docking pier leisurely instead of having their boat towed back by a towing boat.

The rowers were not wearing life vests.

More than 200 divers, fishermen and police in Cambodia have been searching for the five missing Singaporeans. They were reportedly not confident that they would find the five recent university graduatesalive.

A team of seven divers and one medic from the Singapore Navy are also taking part in the search.

They arrived yesterday evening.

Of the 22 people in the boat when it capsized, 17 of them were rescued immediately and taken to hospital.

Singapore’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that they were treated for minor injuries and discharged. They are resting in their hotel rooms.

The ministry also said that the next-of-kin of the five missing Singaporeans have arrived in Phnom Penh and visited the site of theaccident.

They were briefed by the Cambodian authorities and Singapore’s Ambassador in Cambodia on the search-and-rescue operations.

Sad: Two of the upset Singapore members in Cambodia. – Picture: Jonathan Choo

For the elderly Mr Poh, who works as a cleaner, he stayed home with his wife while his eldest son and daughter flew to Phnom Penh to try to get more news on the mishap.

Mr Poh said: ‘The boat had hit the pontoon and capsized near the dock. Boon San is probably trapped under some structure.

‘If only he were out in the big open sea, maybe he could still survive.’

His son, who is in his mid-20s, is the youngest in the family and has three older brothers and a sister.

He also has a girlfriend whom he has yet to take home to meet hisparents.

The older Mr Poh said that his son’s girlfriend had called the family after she learned of the news from the Internet.

The family had already known about it by then because two Members of Parliament visited their flat.

The older Mr Poh recalled: ‘The MPs told me that my son’s boat capsized and his name was not on the list of those who were rescued.

‘My wife and I have not been able to sleep after hearing that.’

He said his son just graduated this year with a second-class honours degree in Electrical Engineering from Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

He recalled how his youngest son was often one of the worst students in primary school.

‘It was only when he reached Primary 6 that he bucked up and studied harder,’ he said.

‘From then onwards, I never had to worry about his school grades. He was a very independent boy who’s close to his brothers.

‘It was his eldest brother who motivated him to pursue a degree after he got his diploma from Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

‘He only started working as an engineer two weeks ago.’

Relatives, who were with the family when The New Paper on Sunday team visited them last night, described the younger Mr Poh as a filial son.

On Wednesday, he had called home to ask his parents to help him look for his passport.

The following day, his mum called him in the afternoon when he was at Changi Airport waiting to board his flight to Phnom Penh.

The older Mr Poh said: ‘He’s been with the national team for four to five years. It’s very normal for him to go overseas for competitions.

‘He started dragon boating when he was studying in polytechnic. Our relatives’ sons are also into dragon boating. We didn’t think anything would happen to him.’

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No strict life vests rule in overseas races

LIFE vests are a must in Singapore waters and there are even officers on patrol boats to enforce it.

But it’s a different story when it comes to races held overseas.

Ex-national team rower Kho Hao Yuan said that not all overseas organisers enforce such a rule.

Mr Kho, who has been rowing for about 20 years, explained: ‘Wearing life vests will hinder movements when participating in high-level competitions.’

Rowers said that they have come across PUB officials stopping their boats to take down the particulars of those without life vests. Their club’s committee will then be served a notice.

Mr Kho, 35, participates in three or four races a year, both local and overseas. He has been coaching for about seven years and said he has never been in a dragon boat which capsized.

‘It is not easy for a dragon boat to capsize, unlike a canoe or kayak. A dragon boat’s body is made wide enough to prevent it from overturning,’ said Mr Kho.

Another rower, Mr Edwin Soon, 29, said that dragon boats are very heavy.

‘You need more than 10 people to carry it. Sometimes during our training, we rock the boat hard to try to overturn it but it’s not easy,’ said Mr Soon.

‘It’s very tedious to complete a 1.5km race. The rowers were probably very tired and could have been caught unaware by the current which hit their boat.’

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PM LEE HSIEN LOONG SAYS:

I am saddened to learn of the boating accident in Phnom Penh, and of the five members of the team who are still missing.

I share the deep concerns of the families of the five Singaporeans. The Singapore Government will do all it can to provide the necessary assistance.

I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to the Cambodian authorities for the help they have rendered in rescuing the 17 Singaporeans and in the ongoing search-and-rescue operations.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,148811,00.html