SINGAPORE – An elderly man and a male teenager were rescued from the waters off East Coast Park by the Police Coast Guard on Sunday (Aug 7).
A large crowd had gathered at the stretch of beach in front of Long Beach when The Straits Times reached there at around 7.10pm.
At around 7.25pm, a red Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) inflatable rescue boat carrying five officers went out in choppy waters to meet two Police Coast Guard boats out at sea, about 200m from the shore.
The SCDF brought the pair back to shore about 15 minutes later.
They were immediately wrapped with white towels and brought into a waiting ambulance.
According to bystanders at the scene, they had found themselves in trouble slightly before 6pm. There were varied accounts of what happened.
A red cross staff who declined to be named said the pair swam too far out and had to be rescued by the Police Coast Guard.
Others said they had been fishing on top of a wave breaker when they fell into the sea and got swept out by the currents.
Ms Elizabeth Lim, 46, a secretary, said a crowd started to gather around 6pm after the police cordoned off the area.
The police said they received a call for assistance at 5.26pm.
The SCDF said both men were conscious and stable, and refused to be brought to the hospital.
This article was first published on Aug 7, 2016.
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