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The body of a 43-year-old man was found on Lazarus Island on Mar. 29 morning some 36 hours after he went missing.
Body found around 2:50am on Mar. 29
According to The Straits Times (ST), the deceased man, identified as Kurnia Hardiman Sumardi, was found near the shoreline around 2:50am.
Image from Shazwan Rhymie/Facebook and Puteri NurFarhana/Facebook.
Kurnia's 28-year-old stepdaughter, Yanna Aziman, wrote in a Facebook post that Kurnia drowned while swimming at Lazarus Island.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Went missing around noon on Mar. 27
Speaking to Chinese daily Shin Min Daily News, Yanna said Kurnia was on a trip to the island with his wife and other family members on Mar. 27.
She said Kurnia had told the family that he wanted to visit the beach before leaving the island.
However, her mother discovered that Kurnia had gone missing around noon.
In response to Mothership's queries, a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesperson said they received a call for assistance near Lazarus Island at around 1:25pm on Mar. 27.
The spokesperson added that SCDF dispatched two marine vessels to the location.
Yanna said her stepfather was dressed in a pair of dark blue trousers at the time of his disappearance.
"The water there is very deep and we were all worried," said Yanna.
Following Kurnia's disappearance, members of his family wrote on social media on Mar. 28 to appeal to members of the public to keep a lookout for the missing man.
Separately, some in an online boating community page urged those near Lazarus Island to keep a lookout for Kurnia around Lazarus island and at the nearby beaches.
Requests for video of incident to stop circulating
Describing her late stepfather, Yanna said: "He was a loving husband to my mother and was an involved father in our short life together. He was a amazing human being all in all."
She appealed to members of the public with videos of the incident to stop circulating the footage, and to either delete it or keep it to themselves.
"We hope that y’all understand it's never a nice thing for someone to come to you with a video of your late father’s body being found while you’re mourning," said Yanna, who added that the family is grieving the loss of Kurnia.
Yanna thanked those who kept Kurnia in their prayers.
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Top image from Mothership and Shazwan Rhymie/Facebook