Two Singaporeans drown off Trikora Beach, Bintan

Two Singaporean nationals, Yusuf Michel and Muhammad Yusuf bin Ghazali, drowned in the sea near Trikora Beach, Bintan, Riau Islands, while a third man, who was a friend and compatriot of the two, survived the incident.

“Yusuf and Muhammad drowned after encountering difficulties while swimming in the sea. Actually there were three people [swimming together], but the third person, Ridwan, was able to swim back to shore,” Kijang Police precinct head Adj. Comr. Rahmat Djantan said Saturday.

He said the three men were members of Jamaha Tabliq, which was holding a private event on the beach at the time. Apparently, he continued, the three decided to take a swim to relieve some stress.

Rahmat said the Singapore Embassy had been in touch with him in connection to this incident.(dic)