Italy villa explosion: KF Seetoh's brother's remains retrieved

The remains of Makansutra food guide founder K.F. Seetoh's brother has been retrieved more than three months after he and his wife died in a suspected gas explosion in Italy in December 2024.

In a Facebook post on March 27, Mr Seetoh gave an update on being able to gain some closure after his elder brother, Mr Seetoh Kwok Meng's unexpected death.

"Now allowed to retrieve my brother's remains for home, after 3 months... That gas explosion that killed him and his wife was so unexpected and unfortunate but the heavens above always work mysteriously. Investigations on the cause is still ongoing but we need some closure for now," Mr Seetoh said.

Mr Seetoh also added that his brother had spent the past six years in Molazzana, a municipality in Lucca, in the Tuscany area - where both he and his sister-in-law died in their holiday home - and said he wished he could "walk a mile in his shoes".

Mr Seetoh is currently waiting to repatriate his brother back to Singapore. It is not known if his sister-in-law's remains are also allowed to be taken.

A funeral for Mr Seetoh Kwok Meng is expected to take place in Italy, followed by a memorial in Singapore from April 7-8.

Mr Seetoh also thanked Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in his post for their "attention and updating us on the situation and the nuances in the process".

Mr Seetoh Kwok Meng, 68, and his wife, Ms Chang Kai-en, 52, had returned to their villa after dinner on the night of Dec 21, before an explosion happened at around 11.45pm, according to local media.

A loud bang was heard after what was suspected to be a gas leak, and the house caught fire before collapsing.

Mr Seetoh's body was found under the rubble on Dec 22, with Ms Chang's remains only being discovered by a sniffer dog close to the couple's holiday villa in Molazzana on Dec 26.