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FINAL GOODBYE: Before leaving for home yesterday, the surviving racers paid their last respects at the pontoon where the tragedy occurred. The bodies of the dead racers arrived home last night. -- ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG
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A CAMBODIAN official said yesterday that teams taking part in last Friday's Tonle Sap races had been warned about strong currents and swirling waters on one side of the river.
Dr Nhim Vanda, vice-president of the National Committee for Disaster Management, said that like other teams taking part, Singapore's national dragon boat team had been warned not to approach a pontoon on that side of the river.
He added that traditional Cambodian boats that take up to 85 men can withstand such conditions, but not the smaller 22-man boat the Singaporeans were in.
'We had informed all the people on the boats that they should not come to this side,' he told The Straits Times yesterday at the very pontoon where the Singapore dragon boat capsized on Friday, claiming the lives of five paddlers.
The bodies of Mr Chee Wei Cheng, 20, Mr Jeremy Goh Tze Xiong, 24, Mr Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 31, Mr Poh Boon San, 27, and Mr Reuben Kee En Rui, 23 were recovered on Sunday and brought home in a military aircraft last night.
Dr Nhim said that at 5.25pm, when the tragedy occurred, the current was very strong and the 10m-deep waters in the area were prone to whirlpools and downward rips.
Singapore officials contacted yesterday could not verify that the team had been warned.
However, another Cambodian official, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith, suggested language difficulties might have been a problem.
Docking instructions were made only in the local language, he said, and the Singapore team members might not have known that another boat was being ordered into position just as they were attempting to dock.
The senior vice-president of the Singapore Dragon Boat Association, Dr Lam Pin Min, said an investigation would be carried out, but the priority for Singapore officials now was to assist with the wake and funeral arrangements for the dead paddlers.
The 17 survivors and some family members of the dead men returned yesterday afternoon, and were met at Changi Airport by Dr Lam and Mr Teo Ser Luck, the Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports.
The remaining family members returned last night.
Dr Lam said: 'We will interview survivors to try to put together what happened, to see if there was a lapse in safety areas, to improve upon them so that such incidents don't happen again.'
Mr Teo said the ministry and relevant authorities will call a press conference soon to provide more information on what happened.
carolynq@sph.com.sg
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