Three dead in Singapore collision
The four, all women, are believed to have been asleep in their
quarters at the rear of the navy vessel, which was crushed in the
collision with the Dutch-registered freighter in the Singapore
Strait.
As investigations continue into the cause of the accident,
salvage workers have begun an operation near the site of the
incident to recover a large metallic object, believed to be part of
the patrol boat's stern that was wrenched off by the impact.
The bodies of 1st Sergeant Seah Ai
Leng, 25, Sergeant Heng Sock Ling, 24, and Corporal Goh Hui Leng,
22, were found over the weekend.
Divers found the body of Goh Hui
Leng lodged between the bunks on the vessel, and the bodies of the
other two women were washed up on the Indonesian resort of Bintan,
south-east of Singapore.
Hopes fade
Officials said they held little hope of finding the fourth
sailor, 2nd Sergeant Chua Bee Lin, alive.
The women's ship, the RSS Courageous, a 500-ton Singaporean
anti-submarine patrol boat, was towed to Singapore's Changi Naval
Base on Saturday.
The cargo ship, the ANL Indonesia, which was en route to South
Korea, sustained only minor damage and has been anchored in
Singapore pending an investigation.
"The collision was the most terrible accident," Deputy Prime
Minister and Defence Minister Tony Tan said after inspecting the
damaged ship.
"In terms of the possible loss of
life, this is the largest loss of life from a single accident that
the RSN (Republic of Singapore Navy) has encountered so far," he
said.
The accident happened minutes before midnight on Friday, about
one nautical mile (1.8 kilometres) north of Pedra Branca, an islet
claimed by both Singapore and Malaysia.
Pedra Branca lies off peninsular Malaysia's southern coast,
strategically situated at the eastern entrance of the Singapore
Strait.
Eight of the 44 crew on the Courageous were injured. There were
no injuries on the ANL Indonesia.
