SINGAPORE – A body believed to be that of a man who had been missing since March 27 after a boat collision off the Southern Islands has been found in Indonesian waters.
The Singapore police said on April 5 that they were alerted by the Indonesian authorities on March 30 at about 3pm to a case of a body found floating off the sea of Karimun, to the south-west of Singapore.
The dead man is believed to be one of three people on board a pleasure craft that collided with a supply vessel at about 4.15am on March 27.
A 49-year-old man has been arrested for rash navigation of a vessel, the Singapore police added.
The victim, Mr Chua Muhammad Syafidi, was an engineering supervisor with Tower Transit Singapore, the bus operator said in a Facebook post on April 5.
He had just completed a part-time diploma in operations and engineering management and was due to attend his graduation ceremony on May 5.
Mr Syafidi, 37, was with Tower Transit for 10 years and rose from vehicle technician to engineering supervisor, said the company, which described him as a “talented and creative engineer who loved to learn and grow”.
Tower Transit wrote on Facebook: “While he took pride in his day-to-day task of keeping our buses running safely and smoothly, Syafidi had a creative spirit.”
He built a life-size replica bus from scratch. And it is his most visible legacy, as it now holds a place of honour in the lobby of Bulim Bus Depot, said Tower Transit.
“But he will be remembered most for the kindness he showed his colleagues, his readiness to lend a hand, and his ever-present smile. We will miss you, Syafidi.”
Mr Chua Muhammad Syafidi was an engineering supervisor with Tower Transit Singapore.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF TOWER TRANSIT SINGAPORE
About 100 Tower Transit employees attended Mr Syafidi’s funeral on April 5. The company said it offers its deepest condolences and support to Mr Syafidi’s wife, children and relatives.
The two other people on the pleasure craft were rescued on the day of the collision, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said on March 27. All those on board the supply vessel were accounted for, and no injuries were reported, MPA also said.
The pleasure craft sank but was recovered on March 30.
Police investigations are ongoing.
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Additional reporting by Laura Chia