'Nearly cost our lives': 8 S'poreans including 6-month-old baby rescued after Bintan tour boat capsizes

What was meant to be a family holiday in Bintan turned into a terrifying ordeal after a boat carrying several Singaporeans, including a child and a 6-month-old baby, capsized during a mangrove tour on May 31.

In Instagram highlights shared on Jun. 3, Sharifah Aminah said her family of 28 had travelled to Tanjung Pinang and Bintan from May 30 to Jun. 1 for what was supposed to be a “joyful holiday”.

Instead, the trip became “one of the most terrifying experiences” of their lives.

Boat allegedly overloaded

Aminah told Mothership they had arrived at the Bintan Mangrove at around 1pm. The group had then gone on for lunch at a kelong restaurant before they were picked up by speedboats for a mangrove tour in Lagoi at around 2pm.

Before boarding, several family members noticed that the weather “wasn’t looking good”, with dark skies and drizzle, she said.

They voiced their concerns, but were allegedly reassured that everything was safe and that the weather was unpredictable.

As the tour had already been paid for and could not be cancelled, the family proceeded.

Aminah confirmed she was the one who booked the tour, after finding the company through recommendations and social media.

She added that she had also conducted her own online research before making the booking.

The company, she said, was BAP Tour & Travel.

Prior to the trip, Aminah said the tour guide had been friendly, responsive and easy to communicate with, which gave her confidence in choosing the package.

However, she said the family did not expect to be transported on speedboats from the kelong restaurant, as they assumed they would be using a larger boat similar to the one that had brought them from the mangrove entrance.

“However, since we were already at the kelong restaurant, we had no choice but to proceed with the speedboats,” she added.

According to her, two boats departed ahead of them, while their boat was the last to leave. Theirs was also the smallest of the three.

There were 10 people on board — eight family members, including a child and a six-month-old baby, as well as a boat operator and a tour guide.

Speaking to Berita Harian (BH), another relative who was part of the trip, Sharifah Shafiqah Syed Ezzat, said they only found out after the incident that the boat could only carry up to eight people.

Weather worsened during tour

About 20 minutes into the journey, after the boat entered the mangrove area, the weather suddenly worsened.

Heavy rain began pouring down, forcing the boat to turn back.

At around 3:15pm, while the boat was heading back, rainwater had accumulated inside the boat.

According to Aminah, the boat driver was attempting to scoop water out while continuing to travel at high speed.

Shafiqah's husband, Sayyid Muhammad Fariid Syed Amzah Alsagoff, also claimed that the boatman had been driving at a fast speed despite the heavy rain and strong currents.

The operator then allegedly accelerated around a corner, before the boat “lost control and flipped over” within seconds.

She said that it was dark under the boat, and the saltwater made it painful to open their eyes.

“We had to feel our way along the sides of the boat to find an escape route, as the boat was too heavy to lift."

According to BH, Fariid saw only murky green water — with no sense of direction, light or air.

Father trapped underwater with baby

Fariid and his six-month-old baby remained trapped underneath the boat for around 40 to 50 seconds before escaping, Aminah told Mothership.

He tried to swim upward but hit the boat, which blocked his access to air.

Holding his daughter with one hand, he felt along the side of the boat with his other hand before finding its edge and diving out.

He said to BH: “I was only trapped for about 10 to 15 seconds, but it felt like the longest moment of my life."

“I wasn’t thinking about anything else. I just wanted to save my child and myself.”

Aminah also told Mothership that her brother and nine-year-old niece were trapped beneath the boat for nearly five minutes.

She added:

“My brother later shared that they were gasping for air and that my niece was close to losing consciousness underwater."

Elsewhere, Fariid and his baby daughter were swept away from the rest of the group.

Fariid had fought to stay afloat while holding the baby with one arm and searching for something to grab onto with the other.

Eventually, the group swam to a mangrove area about two minutes away, then clung to the roots and branches in heavy rain for around 45 minutes.

They were later rescued by another boat at around 4pm, carrying other family members.

Alleged lack of license and missing life jacket whistles

Aminah alleged that the life jackets provided lacked emergency whistles or other safety features, except for one life jacket belonging to her niece, which had a whistle attached.

Fariid also said that all passengers except his baby daughter had been wearing life jackets, as there was no infant size available.

What shocked the family further was what they allegedly discovered after the incident.

When questioned at the drop-off point, two individuals operating the boat allegedly admitted that they did not have a proper boat operating licence or practical training, and had only experience.

The family was also aghast to find out that the tour guide allegedly could not swim.

“This made us feel that our lives had been placed at unnecessary risk, especially considering that they were responsible for ensuring the safety of passengers,” Aminah said. “Ultimately, the passengers had to rely largely on one another for survival."

The police later recorded the family’s statements and conducted investigations, which required them to remain at the location for about two more hours.

The family also claimed they were offered 45 million rupiah (S$3,200) in compensation, which the family said was not enough to cover half the value of their lost items.

Aminah told Mothership that they estimated their losses at around S$8,000.

"Could have easily ended as a tragedy"

Despite the ordeal, all eight Singaporeans survived, with only minor injuries and scratches.

Aminah said the purpose of sharing the incident was not to seek compensation or “bring them down”, but to call for accountability.

She said the outcome could have been much worse, given the conditions and wildlife known to inhabit the area.

She wrote:

“No family should have to endure what we went through. No parent should have to watch their child struggle for air beneath an overturned boat. No infant should have to be carried through raging currents while waiting for rescue.”

Fariid and Shafiqah, speaking to BH, stressed the importance of complying with boat capacity limits and ensuring complete safety equipment is available for people of all ages.

“We are beyond grateful that every single member of our family made it home alive,” Aminah wrote.

“But this could have easily ended as a tragedy.”