Dear Readers,
May we all offer our condolences to the bereaved families of those 5 Singaporeans who were tragically drowned in our Water Festival boat race accident. It is an accident that were prone to happen and all the blames were on the Cambodian authority who were not well prepared to deal with such accident. It was a simple accident which can be rescued but I believe that the rescue teams were not on standby and were not quick enough to come to their rescue when their boat sank. In the Western countries such a simple accident will never result in death. They will be rescued in no time.
The Cambodian authority must take all the responsibility. This accident will serve as a lesson for future event. While our Water Festival has become more popular every year and has, increasingly over the years, been able to attract foreign participants, this accident may also damage the reputation of our Water Festival and might scare off future potential participants. The Cambodian authority must assure those foreign governments that such an accident will never occur again. If not they will not come back. That's what I believe.
Singaporeans found dead after Cambodia boat accident: police
2 hours ago
PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Rescue workers have recovered the bodies of five Singaporean men who were killed in a dragon boat accident during Cambodia's annual water festival, police said Sunday.
The boat carrying 22 men capsized late Friday as it tried to dock on Phnom Penh's Tonle Sap river after competing in a race during the festival.
More than 200 Cambodian navy sailors and fishermen, joined by seven divers and a medic from Singapore, scoured the river over the weekend searching for the five.
"All the missing Singaporeans were found, and now the mission has ended," police chief Touch Naruth told reporters on Sunday.
Seventeen Singaporeans were also injured in the accident, which happened on the first day of races. Millions of spectators, holiday-makers and participants flock to the capital Phnom Penh to watch the event.
Nhim Vanda, from Cambodia's National Committee for Disaster Management, said the tragedy occurred because of currents in the river.
"There was a very strong whirlpool around the port area they were returning to, and it hit the boat," he said, adding that the men were not wearing life jackets.
Singapore's foreign ministry said in a statement that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had written to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to convey his "shock and sadness."
Relatives of the dead visited the site of the accident late Saturday, with most unable to hold the tears back as they silently surveyed the river where their loved ones had been swept away.
More than 440 boats, including a number of foreign crews, entered this year's races, which end Sunday evening. Ten nations in Southeast Asia have boats competing in the colourful event.
Accidents are common during the boat races, which involve long, thin "dragon boats" crewed by as many as 70 rowers, which compete against each other in the sometimes choppy waters in front of Phnom Penh's royal palace.
No comments:
Post a Comment