A man has died after being struck by lightning on Sunday (5 July) while paddleboarding at Pasir Ris Beach.
He was one of seven people who were sent to the hospital after the lightning strike, the authorities said.
Source: Google Maps
In a video posted on XiaoHongShu, a group of men are seen transporting a man on a paddleboard to the shore.
Source: SG Curtains on XiaoHongShu
The man lying on the paddleboard appeared to be motionless.
Source: SG Curtains on XiaoHongShu
The original poster (OP) said in the post and comments that someone who was paddling a boat had been struck by lightning.
He was part of a group of eight at Pasir Ris Beach, the OP added.
In response to queries from MS News, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said it received a call for assistance from 131 Pasir Ris Road at about 4.50pm on 5 July.
A 24-year-old man was sent to the hospital in an unconscious state, while six others, aged 13 to 54, were sent to hospital in a conscious state.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which was alerted at the same time, told MS News that five people, including the unconscious man, were conveyed to Sengkang General Hospital.
Two more people were conveyed to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
However, the 24-year-old man subsequently passed away in hospital.
No foul play is suspected, according to preliminary investigations.
Police investigations are ongoing.
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, reported Lianhe 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 SG Curtains on XiaoHongShu.