Man slips from breakwater, falls into sea at East Coast Park on Christmas Day

While celebrating Christmas at the beach with his wife, a man found himself in a slippery situation. 

He climbed onto the breakwater, lost his footing and fell into the sea along East Coast Park's carpark C3 on Dec 25 afternoon, reported Lianhe Zaobao.

A breakwater is a wooden or stone wall that extends from the shore into the sea. It is built to protect a harbour or beach from the force of the waves. 

His wife felt something was amiss when he did not return after some time. Running towards the breakwater, she discovered that her husband had fallen into the sea.

She subsequently called the police for help. 

According to Zaobao, the man knew how to swim but was unable to do so because of the strong currents. He made his way back to the shore after a passer-by threw him a lifebuoy. 

Despite the scare, he was relatively unscathed. 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told AsiaOne that they received a call for water rescue assistance at 4.40pm. However, their assistance was "not required" as the man managed to swim ashore by himself. 

In November, a 47-year-old man drowned after falling into the water at East Coast Park. 

SCDF paramedics conveyed the unconscious man to Changi General Hospital where he later died. 

claudiatan@asiaone.com