Four discharged from hospital after Pasir Ris Beach lightning strike
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
One man died after being struck by lightning while paddleboarding in the waters off Pasir Ris Beach on July 5.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
- Four patients taken conscious to Sengkang General Hospital after a lightning strike at Pasir Ris Beach have been discharged.
- One man struck by lightning while paddleboarding died; six others aged 13 to 54 were taken conscious to hospital.
- The incident occurred despite clear skies, highlighting Singapore’s frequent lightning, averaging 176 lightning days per year.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – All four patients taken conscious to Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) after a lightning-strike incident at Pasir Ris Beach on July 5 have been discharged, the hospital confirmed on July 7.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of July 5, when a man was struck by lightning while paddleboarding in the waters off Pasir Ris Beach. He was taken to SKH in an unconscious state and subsequently died, the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force stated on July 6.
Six other individuals, aged between 13 and 54, were taken conscious to hospital, the authorities added.
Five people, including the man who died, were taken to the emergency department at SKH. Two others, both of whom were children, were taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).
SKH said that three of the victims were “evaluated and discharged in a stable condition”.
The fourth person, who experienced a transient loss of consciousness, was admitted for observation but has since been discharged, SKH added.
The hospital declined to comment on the relationship between the victims.
The Straits Times has also contacted KKH regarding the condition of the two children, but the hospital declined to comment.
Eight people had been kayaking and paddleboarding at the beach when lightning struck.
An eyewitness, Muhammad Fairuz, who was fishing at the beach, told ST that the group was about 100m out in the water when the incident happened. He noted that the skies had been clear.
He heard shouting and saw a man lying unconscious on his paddleboard, while the rest of the group paddled back to shore in their kayaks.
Mohammad Nordin, owner of a nearby kayak rental shop, Fish On, said some of the kayaks had capsized after the lightning strike.
Several members of the public then helped to drag the kayaks to shore and to lift the unconscious man from the stand-up paddleboard and move him onto the grass.
An ambulance later arrived to take the victims to hospital.
Singapore records an average of 176 lightning days a year, according to the Meteorological Service Singapore. A lightning day is defined as a day when at least one occurrence of lightning is detected at the Changi climate station.
This incident follows a similar one in May, when a worker at a fish farm died after being struck by lightning.
In December 2023, three workers were taken to hospital after lightning struck near their construction work site.
