Partygoer drowns in pool at Amber Park

SINGAPORE - A poolside party at a condominium ended in tragedy when a woman drowned.

The 21-year-old Vietnamese woman had been drinking with more than 10 local and expat friends at Amber Park in Marine Parade.

She went for a dip in the two metre-deep pool but had difficulty swimming. Fellow partygoers noticed she was submerged and dived in to rescue her.

A security guard, who asked not to be named, said her friends ran to the guardhouse to ask for help to resuscitate her and to call an ambulance.

The guard performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR on the woman for about 10 minutes.

She said: "The alcohol smell on the girl was so strong. Food was also coming out of her mouth. I had to stop because I was breathless and the smell was too strong."

Two other condominium residents, a European man and a woman, then stepped in to resuscitate the woman. The guard said the woman conducts swimming lessons at the condo and is trained in CPR.

The guard also said the Vietnamese woman's pulse was very weak and she was slipping in and out of consciousness by the time paramedics from the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived.

An SCDF spokesman said a call about the drowning was received at 8.43pm and an ambulance arrived at the condo in 11 minutes.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate her in the ambulance on the way to Changi General Hospital but her pulse was weak and she was not breathing.

A CGH spokesman said doctors failed to revive her. She was pronounced dead at around 10pm on Sunday.

When The Straits Times visited the condominium that night, a group of about eight of the woman's friends were at the pool area, where police officers were taking down their statements.

The woman's friends looked dazed and some were crying. They declined to be interviewed.

The Straits Times understands that the party was organised by a Japanese man who rents a unit at Amber Park.

In 2000, a six-year-old boy drowned in the same condo pool.

ameltan@sph.com.sg


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