SCDF finds body of missing woman whose kayak capsized off Sentosa, no foul play suspected

Sarah Koh
The Straits Times
Oct 24, 2023

The body of a kayaker who went missing on Sunday morning has been found in waters off Sentosa, the police have said.

It was found and retrieved off Sentosa by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) at 3pm on Tuesday, said the police in response to queries from The Straits Times.

The police later established the body to be that of the 33-year-old woman who went missing after going on a kayaking expedition with three companions on Sunday morning.

“Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play,” said a spokesman, adding that investigations are ongoing.

The woman’s kayak reportedly capsized in the waters between Sentosa and Palau Tekukor, in a patch of sea known as the Buran Channel.

She was reportedly trying to save one of her companions, whose kayak had capsized, before she capsized herself.

Both of them were swept under the currents, but her companion, a man, was later rescued by a passing boat.

The incident sparked a search-and-rescue mission involving the SCDF and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

A team of divers, a rescue vessel and a patrol craft were deployed to look for the woman. The MPA also issued a navigation broadcast to ships in the area to report any sighting of a person in distress.

Ninja Kayakers Foilers founder Clarence Chua told ST on Monday that the channel is a “notoriously difficult” stretch of water that is hard even for expert kayakers.

“We call it a ‘washing machine’ because the water just churns you around – left, right, up and down,” he added.