Body of 60-year-old man retrieved from waters near Woodlands jetty after he fell overboard
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The victim, identified as Jasmani Osman, had started work clearing flotsam in August 2024.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – Rescuers retrieved the body of a 60-year-old man from waters at Woodlands Waterfront Park on Nov 7, hours after he was reported missing in the morning.
The police told The Straits Times that they were alerted to a suspected drowning case there at about 10am.
A Police Coast Guard patrol craft, a Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) patrol craft, and two Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) marine firefighting and rescue vessels were subsequently deployed to search for the man.
MPA said in a statement earlier on Nov 7 that it had been informed that a crew member on a flotsam retrieval craft fell overboard in waters near the Woodlands jetty.
After the body was found, an SCDF paramedic pronounced the man dead at the scene. The police added that preliminary investigations do not suspect foul play, and investigations are ongoing.
The Straits Times saw a blue police tent – of the type used to cover a human body in a public place – at around 4.27pm, when it visited the scene.
A man there, who gave his name only as Naz and said he was a son of the victim, identified the 60-year-old man as Mr Jasmani Osman.
Family members watching as the man’s body is carried into a police hearse on Nov 7.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
Naz told ST that he had received a text message in the family’s group chat about the incident at around noon.
He said that Mr Jasmani had been employed to clear flotsam from the water’s surface since August 2024.
Mr Jasmani leaves behind two daughters and three sons.
When ST arrived on the scene at about 4.10pm, police and SCDF vehicles could be seen near the entrance of Woodlands Waterfront Park.
When ST arrived on the scene at about 4.10pm, police and SCDF vehicles could be seen near the entrance of Woodlands Waterfront Park.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
Police Coast Guard and MPA boats could be seen on the water near the jetty as part of search efforts. MPA also issued a navigational broadcast to vessels nearby to keep a lookout for any person in the water.
In the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment’s June 2022 National Action Strategy on marine litter, flotsam is defined as any floating object of reasonable size, including tree trunks, plastic bottles, carcasses, drums, floating pontoons and dead fish.
MPA deploys nine flotsam clearance crafts to clear the objects daily to ensure safety of navigation around Singapore waters, the document added.
