S'porean woman drowns while diving off Tioman

S'porean woman drowns while diving off Tioman

SINGAPORE - A Singaporean woman drowned during a diving trip off Pulau Tioman on Saturday.

Ms Sim Qiu Yan, 30, had hired a boat with eight other friends to go diving over the long Easter weekend.

They were accompanied by an instructor, reported Chinese evening newspaper Shin Min Daily News.

It is understood that Ms Sim, who got her diving licence this year, was diving near the Sipadan wreck, an area with low visibility, when she went missing at about 11.50am.

Vessels nearby were dispatched to search for her.

Her body was found only at about 10pm and taken to a hospital in Kuantan.

She is survived by her husband, a 38-year-old taxi driver known as Mr Lim, and a five-year-old daughter.

Her body has been transported back to Singapore.

The trip was Ms Sim's second to Tioman. She had gone there earlier this year and found it enjoyable, said Mr Lim.

When The Straits Times visited the wake in Yishun Ring Road, her relatives declined to speak to reporters.

But her brother, who wanted to be known only as Raymond, said: "All we want is for her to go peacefully on her journey."

At least three people died while on diving trips in Malaysia last year.

Last September, Singaporean diving instructor Tan Seah Heng, 48, and his Singaporean student, Dr Lee Yong Yeow, 35, both drowned in the waters off Pulau Tioman during a diving trip.

The victims were believed to have run out of air while diving.

This article by The Straits Times was published in MyPaper, a free, bilingual newspaper published by Singapore Press Holdings.

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