'The wind pushed him too far': Friend recounts trying to rescue boy still missing after falling into Kallang River
Search operations for the missing male teenager at Kallang River will resume on Feb 26.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Shafiq Apandi
PUBLISHED ONFebruary 26, 2026 3:10 AMUPDATEDFebruary 26, 2026 2:30 PMBYShafiq ApandiKoh Xing Ying[UPDATE: 9.05pm]
The Singapore Civil Defence Force called off active search operations at 7pm on Thursday (Feb 26), but added that its officers will continue to monitor the situation and make periodic checks in the area.
A search and rescue operation is underway after a 13-year-old boy was reported missing and is suspected to have drowned in Kallang River on Wednesday (Feb 25).
Speaking to AsiaOne on Thursday (Feb 26), the boy's friend, who wished to be known only as Hirzi, said they had been fishing in a group of four when the incident occurred.
"Daniel (the boy) tried to help me with the fishing rod when it got stuck, and as I was trying to fix it, I saw him fall into the water," said Hirzi, who attends the same secondary school as the missing teenager.
He added that during the rescue attempt, another boy also fell into the river but was saved.
"We couldn't save him (the missing boy) because the wind pushed him too far away. The three of us were trying to figure out how to save him, and we had no choice but to call the police," said Hirzi.
Daniel's mum, who wished to be known only as Siti, told AsiaOne that her 13-year-old son is the middle child of three boys, with siblings aged 11 and 14.
"Daniel has always been a good boy, never caused any trouble for me," said the 46-year-old food stall operator, who is from Surabaya, Indonesia.
She was present at the scene where her son was last seen on Feb 26 as search operations continued.
Siti added that she was informed of the incident on Feb 25 at 5pm and had been unaware that Daniel had gone fishing that day, as he would usually head straight home after school.
In a video shared on Instagram page Sgfollowsall, rescuers could be seen operating at the site, with several bystanders nearby.
Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police said they were alerted to a case of suspected drowning at about 4.30 pm on Wednesday (Feb 25) at Kallang River.
The police added that a search and rescue operation with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is underway.
SCDF said that firefighters and rescuers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Dart) responded to the incident, with Dart rescuers conducting an underwater search in the area where the missing person was last seen.
SCDF noted that after more than four hours of searching, operations were suspended as a safety precaution due to low visibility as nightfall approached, with the search set to resume on Thursday morning.
Preliminary investigations do not indicate any foul play and investigations are ongoing, the police said.
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