According to the coroner’s report, the 14-year-old boy who drowned in the sea off Changi Beach in August last year, was said to have panicked when the water level rose and he didn’t know how to swim.
He reportedly panicked when he couldn’t feel the sea bed anymore and got swept away by the sea current.
Putera Muhammad Indra Shazrine Suzaini’s body was retrieved by the SCDF divers 2 hours later, while his friend was rescued by a bystander.
Kamala Ponnampalam, the state coroner, ruled his death a “truly unfortunate misadventure”.
Context
The 14-year-old boy was thought to be studying with a group of friends, said the step-granduncle of the boy.
Eyewitness accounts said that Putera was part of a group of six boys fishing and swimming at Changi Beach Park, when one of the boy ran up to an eyewitness shouting for help to save his drowning friend.
The eyewitness then brought 5 family members and friends to the sea, where they spotted 2 of the 6 boys struggling in the water.
The eyewitness’ brother-in-law had actually grabbed hold of Putera’s hand but was too slippery and a giant wave swept the boy away.
The mother of the boy said that her son didn’t know how to swim, and that his nanny also told him not to go swimming.
The boy’s mother also said that she received a message from Putera’s friends that her son had drowned; at first she thought it was a prank in bad taste but not long after, she received a call from the police confirming Putera’s death.
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