2 bodies retrieved from Alexandra Canal after car plunges into it

*Updated Jan 25, 10.42am

SINGAPORE - Two bodies were retrieved from the Alexandra Canal after a car plunged into the water, according to media reports. 

A silver Mercedes-Benz had apparently driven out from Valley Point Shopping Centre in River Valley Road, and hit the bushes before plunging into the water, said eye-witnesses. 

This happened at about 9pm on Sunday night (Jan 24).

Two people, both women, were in the car, The Straits Times reported. 

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the women were believed to be mother and daughter. The report added that both women had long hair and fair skin, while one of them was wearing a black-and-white striped top.  

The pair have been identified as Madam Yep Lay Choo, 51, and her daughter, Ms Kimberly Poon, 22, reported The Straits Times.  Based on CCTV footage captured in the mall prior to the accident, both women were seen in the carpark happily walking and carrying shopping bags. 

A man who identified the bodies appeared distraught, and spent about five minutes kneeling by the blue police tents, The New Paper reported.

The New Paper also reported that an older couple arrived later. The woman sobbed loudly when shown the two bodies,

Police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived shortly after the accident as a crowd of about 200 people gathered around the area.

The bodies of the two women were extricated from the car by divers, reported Channel NewsAsia, and they were pronounced dead at the scene.

The car was hoisted out of the canal by tow trucks. 

Investigations are ongoing. 

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