Seven people were sent to the hospital on Sunday (5 July) after a lightning strike at Pasir Ris Beach.
One of them was a man who was struck by lightning while paddleboarding, reported Lianhe Zaobao.
Source: Google Maps
In response to queries from MS News, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call for assistance from Pasir Ris Beach at about 4.50pm on 5 July.
Five people were conveyed to Sengkang General Hospital. One of them was unconscious.
Two more people were conveyed to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
The incident occurred as a group of eight people — five male and three female — were kayaking and paddleboarding in the waters off Carpark D of Pasir Ris Park, according to Zaobao.
But the weather suddenly turned bad, and a lightning bolt struck the water.
One of the men in the group bore the brunt of the strike as he was paddleboarding in a standing position.
Source: Google Maps
He lost consciousness after taking a direct hit.
40-year-old private-hire driver Muhammad Fairuz told Zaobao that he had been fishing when five members of the group paddled to shore in a panicked state.
One of them said their brother had been struck by lightning and needed an ambulance quickly.
Mr Muhammad Fairuz and another person paddled out to sea to rescue three other members of the group.
The unconscious man was brought to the beach, where five members of the public took turns to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him.
Mr Muhammad Fairuz recalled that the man appeared to be foaming at the mouth, and his clothes were torn and burnt.
Another witness, a 45-year-old woman named only as Dolly, said the man’s arms and legs had turned purple.
Two women, who were believed to be his family members, were in tears next to him.
Zaobao observed that multiple ambulances later arrived to transport the victims to the hospital.
Also read: 30-year-old fishery worker dies after being struck by lightning at fish farm off Lim Chu Kang coast
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.