Chinatown accident: Body of 6-year-old girl repatriated to Indonesia

The body of the six-year-old girl who died in a Chinatown Road accident has been repatriated home to Jakarta in Indonesia on Sunday (Feb 8).

Shin Min Daily News reported that the girl's family claimed her body at the morgue at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) on Feb 7 —  a day after the accident — at around 2.15pm.

Several cries could be heard there from relatives who had flown to Singapore.

An elderly woman reportedly lost control of her emotions and could not bear to look at the body, before turning to lean on a younger woman's shoulder.

The father, unable to contain his grief, was struggling to stay upright.

He collapsed to the ground with his head bowed and tears streaming down his face.

On Feb 6 morning, the father was seen crying for help while holding on to his daughter at the scene of the accident along South Bridge Road, near the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.

A woman, later identified as the girl's mother, was seen lying on the road next to them.

She is believed to be receiving treatment at the hospital and was not at the morgue.

The girl was later repatriated to Jakarta on a Singapore Airlines flight on Feb 8 morning.

An Indonesian embassy spokesperson told Shin Min that embassy staff visited the family at SGH the night of the accident to offer their assistance.

"Embassy staff met with the girl's father and will continue to provide the deceased's family with support and assistance," the embassy spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also said that the embassy remains ready to facilitate communications with all parties to ensure that all administrative processes will be smooth, particularly with the repatriation of the deceased's body.

The Singapore Police Force said on Feb 8 that the 38-year-old female car driver has been arrested for driving without reasonable consideration causing death.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com