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Friends and families of the deceased boatman in the Marina Bay boat fire incident attended the wake on Thursday (July 14) to pay their respects. The wake takes place on Block 735, Jurong West St 75 and will last until Saturday (July 16) morning.
The body of Mr. Ong Hock Long was claimed from the mortuary by his family in the morning.
Mr. Ong was found by the Singapore Civil Defense Force in the Singapore River on late Wednesday, after 27-hours of searching. He reportedly jumped off his boat after it caught fire, and drowned in the river. The detailed information pertaining the incident is yet to be revealed, as the police is still investigating the case, said the Singapore River Cruise representative.
The company also said it was providing support and counseling to their staffs who apparently were affected by the incident. They said that the boats are regularly checked, and there are safety measures provided on board. All boatmen are also professionally trained and own the Steersman License. They should be able to operate the boat under any circumstances, including in times of emergency. There are currently 30 boatmen employed by the company.
Meanwhile, a 2-minute video titled “Tribute to Fulong! R.I.P.” was uploaded to Youtube on Wednesday, and is circulating around the social media. The video, which were uploaded by Jason Ong, has currently over a five thousand views. It consists of Mr. Ong’s photos in his job with the Singapore River Cruise and also his days as a student with his friends.
The management of SRC said that it has been helping Mr. Ong’s family through this difficult time.