SINGAPORE - A 10-year-old girl had to undergo emergency surgery after her right cheek was caught by a fishing hook at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.

The incident, which occurred last Sunday (May 28) at around 7.30pm, was recounted by the girl's mother, Ms Michelle Tew, in a Facebook post that went viral but has since been taken down.

The girl's name was not disclosed in the post.

According to the mother, the girl had seen three young boys playing with a fishing rod with a hook, line and sinker at the bridge near the McDonald's in the park.

She stopped near them to wait for her family when the hook caught her cheek.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Ms Tew said she and her husband had taken their daughter and six-year-old son to the park to play.

She said her son ran to her to say her daughter's face had been caught by a fish hook.

When she looked, she saw a 2cm-long wound on her daughter's face, which kept bleeding.

"I saw a boy who was about 12 to 13 beside my daughter, holding a fishing rod with a line and hook," she said.

She and her husband managed to bite through the fishing line, and they took their daughter to hospital.

The hook was removed in a 30-minue operation and her wound stitched up.

The National Parks Board and water agency PUB told The Straits Times in a joint response on Tuesday that fishing with a rod and line is not allowed at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park except at the Landscape Pond.

"While there is closed-circuit television surveillance along the river banks and patrols are conducted regularly along the banks and parks, everyone has a part to play in making these spaces a safe and pleasant environment for all to enjoy," they said.

"We would like to remind park users to be responsible, mindful and considerate to one another, and to follow the regulations and guidelines within the park. This includes fishing only in designated fishing areas and carrying fishing equipment with care. Children should also be accompanied by adults during fishing activities."