SINGAPORE - The bodies of two men, aged 26 and 28, were retrieved from the Singapore River early on Sunday (April 18).

Police said they were alerted at 1.57am to a case of suspected drowning near 6 Eu Tong Sen Street - the address of Clarke Quay Central.

A spokesman for the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call for water rescue at about 2am. Its officers saw no signs of the missing persons upon arrival.

Divers from the SCDF's Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Dart) were deployed to perform an underwater search.

Dart also deployed an underwater remotely operated vehicle to aid the search effort. This allows search operations to be conducted using sonar-imaging equipment that maps out underwater terrain.

"This reduces risks for the divers due to poor visibility underwater, and also reduces search time," said the SCDF spokesman.

The bodies were found and retrieved by the divers, one at about 4am and the other at about 5.45am.

Both men were pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic.

"Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play," said a police spokesman.

On Sunday, the Chinese-language Shin Min Daily News reported that the older man fell into the river after drinking. On seeing this, the 26-year-old was said to have jumped in, making a doomed attempt to rescue him.

An eyewitness told the evening newspaper that other friends who were with the two called the police for help after seeing them in the water.

Investigations are ongoing.