Singaporean boy, 10, dies in cruise ship swimming pool
A Singaporean boy died aboard a cruise ship in Langkawi, Malaysia, on Monday.
Alan Heng Kai Lun, 10, was found unresponsive in a swimming pool on the Genting Dream, a ship operated by Dream Cruises.
He was reportedly on the ship with his mother Madam Chang Lei Ling, 40, and her friend.
The cruise ship, which can accommodate 4,500 passengers, left Singapore on Sunday for a four-day, three-night cruise to Langkawi and Phuket.
According to the itinerary, it left Singapore at about 5pm, reaching Langkawi around 3pm on Monday, docking at the Star Cruise Jetty.
Langkawi District Police Chief Superintendent Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim told Malaysian news site MyMetro that police received a call from the ship at about 7.30pm on Monday.
"During the incident, there were others at the pool, including pool attendants," he said.
"The case has been classified as a sudden death while police are awaiting autopsy reports."
He added that the police also took statements from several passengers and staff on the ship.
A Dream Cruises spokesman told The New Paper it is fully co-operating with the authorities.
"The on-board responding medical team immediately provided medical and resuscitation assistance," she said.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased and we offer our sincerest condolences."
The boy's body was taken to the Sultanah Maliha Langkawi Hospital.
The ship left for Phuket at about 10.30pm on Monday, and is expected to be back in Singapore around 6pm today.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur is in contact with the family and will continue to provide the necessary consular assistance.
This is the third reported incident this year involving a Singaporean passenger on the Genting Dream.
A 74-year-old man went missing after boarding the ship on Aug 4 for a four-day, three-night cruise to Penang and Langkawi. Surveillance cameras captured a "whitish figure" falling into the sea at about 3am on the second day of the trip.
Last month, a 76-year-old man who boarded the ship on Oct 13 for a six-day, five-night trip died while snorkelling. His body was found floating in the South China Sea, and he reportedly died due to medical complications at a beach resort while on shore in Redang Island.
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