Two British tourists help rescue elderly woman from Bukit Batok Town Park lake
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The 72-year-old woman was taken conscious to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital after being rescued from the lake using a life buoy and ladder, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said.
PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS
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SINGAPORE - Two British tourists in Singapore to visit their children helped to rescue an elderly woman from Bukit Batok Town Park lake on Tuesday (Sept 24).
The 72-year-old woman was taken conscious to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital after being rescued from the lake using a life buoy and ladder, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said.
Photographer Lesley Brewin, 65, and her husband were by the lake - also known as Little Guilin - when they saw a small stool beside a low wall there.
Sensing something amiss, the couple, who are from Britain, went to investigate and saw beyond the wall that a woman appeared to be barely afloat in the lake, Mrs Brewin told Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min Daily News.
She tried to look for passers-by for help, while her husband sought to find ways to bring the woman back to shore.
As she was also a diving instructor, Mrs Brewin eventually decided to jump into the lake to rescue the woman. She kept the woman afloat and provided mouth-to-mouth resuscitation before SCDF officers arrived.
"I was focused on saving her at the time. The water was not too deep and since I'm a diving instructor, and have learnt how to rescue people at sea, I knew what to do in such emergencies," Mrs Brewin said. "I hope the woman recovers soon."
SCDF said that it responded to a call for assistance at Bukit Batok Town Park at 11.50am on Tuesday and that a member of the public helped the woman before its officers arrived.
SCDF also told The Straits Times that it was looking into recognising the British tourists for helping the woman.
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Helplines
• Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444 (24 hours)
• Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222 (24 hours)
• Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
• Tinkle Friend (for primary school-aged children): 1800-274-4788
• Care Corner Counselling Hotline (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800
The police said that they were alerted to a case of attempted suicide along Bukit Batok East Avenue 5. After she was taken to the hospital, the woman was arrested in relation to the case.
