The 49-year-old Singaporean man who was rescued from a car that plunged into a river in Johor's Kota Tinggi on Mar. 15, 2024, passed away after spending five days in the hospital.

After Malaysian authorities extricated the man from the car, he was conveyed unconscious to a local hospital with injuries in his heart.

While the man was subsequently transferred back to Singapore and admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital to receive further treatment, he eventually succumbed to his injuries on Mar. 20, reported Shin Min Daily News.

A funeral wake for the deceased was held by his family at an HDB block in Ang Mo Kio on Mar. 21.

What happened

According to Malaysian media, the fatal accident was believed to have taken place after the man lost control of the vehicle on Mar. 15.

However, as the man was trapped in his seat, he was unable to move and eventually lost consciousness.

Upon being alerted by members of the public about the accident, a group of eight firefighters arrived at the scene.

They subsequently jumped into the river and began using tools to extricate the man from the vehicle.

At the time, the man was found almost submerged in his seat, according to the person in charge of the rescue operation.

The entire rescue operation took more than 1.5 hours.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the man was a tour guide from Singapore and was heading towards Johor Bahru on the date of the accident.

Police investigations are still underway.

Top images via China Press