'We hope he won't blame himself': Family of woman who drowned in East Coast condo's pool thanks man for attempting rescue

A Malaysian woman drowned in a swimming pool at her condo despite an elderly neighbour's attempts to rescue her.

Her family, who were in Singapore to retrieve her body, expressed their appreciation to the neighbour for his bravery and hoped that he would not feel guilty about her death.

The incident happened at Fernwood Towers, a condo located in Marine Parade on Oct 21.

The deceased is Yang Si-yi (transliteration), a 37-year-old engineer from Penang. She had been working as an engineer in Singapore for over 10 years prior to her death, according to her eldest brother, Yang Si-wei, in an interview with 8world.

No foul play suspected: Police

Si-yi's family flew to Singapore on Oct 23 to retrieve her body.

The police reportedly provided them with CCTV footage of the drowning, from the moment she entered the pool to when she was carried out of the pool. 

Si-yi's neighbour, a 70-year-old man who lives on the same floor, had tried to rescue her multiple times but to no avail.

He had reportedly spotted her struggling at the other end of the pool but was unable to reach her on his first attempt. The pool is reportedly three metres deep and he lacked the physical strength to swim to her.

After failing to rescue her himself, he rushed out of the pool to get help from two electricians nearby. They were unable to swim, and thus unable to save Si-yi.

The elderly man made another rescue attempt and eventually managed to drag Si-yi out of the pool, where witnesses subsequently performed CPR on her before the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the SCDF confirmed that they received a call for help at 12.55pm that day and conveyed Si-yi to Changi General Hospital. 

The police, in response to AsiaOne's queries, said Si-yi was unconscious while being transported to the hospital where she subsequently died.

No foul play is suspected and investigations are ongoing.

'We are so grateful for his efforts'

Si-yi's family later visited and met the wife of the elderly man who rescued Si-yi, who was apologetic for not being able to save her.

"We hope that he won't blame himself, feel bad or feel guilty about this, we are so grateful for his efforts," Si-wei added, expressing deep gratitude towards the elderly neighbour's valiant efforts.

Si-yi's body was brought back to Penang on Oct 23 where her family held a memorial service in remembrance of her.

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dana.leong@asiaone.com