37-year-old doctor dies in diving accident

QX179R SG

37-year-old doctor dies in diving accident in Malaysia

SINGAPORE: A 37-year-old eye doctor died on Saturday in a diving accident off Pulau Aur, Malaysia.

Details of the incident remain sketchy.

Sources say his body was taken to Mersing Hospital and has since been brought back to Singapore.

Dr Marcus Lim was an avid photographer, and a very experienced diver, according to friends Channel NewsAsia spoke to.

The Singapore National Eye Centre, where he worked, said the doctor was a promising registrar in ophthalmology and a young aspiring clinician-scientist, who was awarded the National Medical Research Council fellowship just this year.

In a statement, the centre's Medical Director Professor Donald Tan said it shares this loss with his family.

Dr Lim leaves behind his wife and a young son.

- CNA/yb

QX179R SG

Eye specialist who drowned was "feeling well" before accident

Friends of the Singapore National Eye Centre specialist who died in a diving accident on Saturday, say he was "feeling well" before the accident.

The 37-year-old doctor, described by friends as an experienced diver, was diving near a shipwreck in the South China Sea.

He was honing his skills in preparation for a diving expedition to Antarctica next year.

But Dr Marcus Lim experienced some difficulties after 23 minutes underwater, said fellow diver, Jay Siak.

Jay said Dr Lim was brought to the surface and lost consciousness.

"CPR was commenced, and the boat set sail for the nearest hospital which is Mersing Hospital. But despite four hours of CPR, we could not revive him."

Dr Lim, a keen sportsman and Liverpool Football Club fan, was described by family and friends as level-headed and a loving father.

He leaves behind a pregnant wife and a three-year-old son.

--938Live