Body of boy retrieved from waters off East Coast Park, identity confirmed to be missing 11-year-old Hairil
The body of 11-year-old Muhammad Hairil Bin Muhammad Effendi, who went missing from Marine Terrace on Friday (29 Aug), has been found in the waters off East Coast Park.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed on Sunday (31 Aug) that Hairil’s body was retrieved late Saturday (30 Aug) night and identified by his next-of-kin.
Preliminary investigations do not suspect foul play, but police inquiries are still ongoing.
Authorities retrieve body after late-night search
SPF said it received a call for assistance at East Coast Park on 30 Aug at about 9.55pm.
Upon arrival, officers found a boy floating in the sea before Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers brought him ashore. He was later pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic.
Photos and videos circulated on Saturday (30 Aug) showed the police, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and bystanders at the scene.
Source: Reddit
A witness told The Straits Times (ST) that the authorities arrived at about 10.15pm and cordoned off a section of the park.
As a crowd gathered, SCDF’s Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) were seen preparing to enter the water at 10.40pm.
Divers and a red boat appeared at about 11pm, with the crowd in a “sad” mood.
At 12.40am on Sunday (31 Aug), a body was carried into a police van on a stretcher.
Video shows boy floating off East Coast Park
A video circulating over social media channels, including Telegram, showed a boy floating face down in the water at East Coast Park.
He was wearing only a pair of shorts.
Shocked people can be heard commenting in surprise on the motionless boy.
Boy missing from Marine Terrance since Friday
Hairil, who had special needs and was mostly non-verbal, had been missing for over 24 hours before his body was found.
He was last seen on 29 Aug at about 11am, leaving his family’s flat near Block 29 Marine Crescent barefoot. CCTV footage captured him wearing only grey shorts, without a shirt.
His parents, who noticed his absence around the same time, immediately began searching the neighbourhood.
Source: Reunite Missing Children on Facebook
Neighbours, friends, and even his teacher from Minds Towner Gardens School joined the search, combing stairwells and nearby areas, as Hairil was known to enjoy walking up and down staircases.
Efforts also stretched to East Coast Park and East Coast Lagoon.
No foul play suspected
No foul play is suspected, based on preliminary investigations.
The police advised members of the public not to share any videos or images of the deceased out of respect for the family.
Also read: Special needs boy from Marine Terrace missing for more than 24h, police seeking information
Special needs boy from Marine Terrace missing for more than 24h, police seeking information
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Featured image adapted from Reddit.
