He saves wife, but his life vest slips off, then...
hero hubby disappears into water

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HE was a strong swimmer and his first thought was for his wife, who couldn't swim.

Their double-seater kayak had capsized while they were paddling in the Lower Seletar Reservoir on Sunday.

Struggling in the water, MadamNoorliza Yahya, 27, shouted out that she could not swim.

Mr Khoka Mohammed Burhan, 32, immediately swam to her aid.

He saved her from going under, and also managed to turn the kayak upright.

He then helped her into the kayak and began pushing it towards the shore.

When she turned and looked at him, she saw him swimming towards the kayak.

She saw his life vest slipping off. He called out her name and then sank into the water.

That is the image that will probably haunt Madam Noorliza for the rest of her life.

She related the final moments of her hero hubby to her aunt, MadamHalimah.

It was a sunny Sunday when the couple decided to go kayaking.

Then the tragedy happened.

MrKhoka, an Indian national and Singapore permanent resident, went missing in the waters off the shoreline of a golf course at Orchid Country Club.

At 11.15am yesterday, his body was found not far from where he had disappeared.

About two hours later, a woman's body was found near where MrKhoka's body was found.

The New Paper visited the Yishun flat where Mr Khoka and his wife, a clerk at a primary school, lived with her parents.

Madam Halimah said her niece was resting and did not want to be disturbed.

Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Lee Bee Wah also visited the family earlier yesterday.


LOVED THE OUTDOORS



Madam Halimah, 45, a school assistant who is the younger sister of Madam Faridah, Madam Noorliza's mother, said that her niece and MrKhoka loved outdoor sports.

They had gone to the People's Association's Water-Venture sports outlet at the reservoir at least twice before the fateful day.

She said Mr Khoka was a good swimmer who also knew how to dive.

Madam Halimah said that her niece told her that both of them had landed in the water, but they were both wearing life vests.

Madam Halimah said: 'Noorliza started shouting to her husband that she could not swim.
'He got the kayak upright again and then helped Noorliza onto the kayak.

'He then pushed the kayak towards the shore. Noorliza saw him swimming towards the boat. But then his life vest slipped off.

'He shouted for help once and then called out Noorliza's name. Then he disappeared.'

Madam Halimah said her niece called for help and several Bangladeshi workers at the golf course saw the kayak and helped her push it near the shore, after which Madam Noorliza then waded onto shore.

But the workers could not help MrKhoka as they could not swim and did not have life vests, said Madam Halimah. The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force were then called.


INTERNET ROMANCE
Madam Halimah said her niece, the elder of twin daughters and the second of three children, had known Mr Khoka for several years.

They had communicated through the Internet for some time before getting married.
The couple have no children.

'They married in December 2005 and they were planning to start a family soon,' she said.
Madam Halimah said Mr Khoka, came from Bangalore and had worked as an engineer here and in Dubai.

She said he had recently left his job at a shipyard here and was looking for a job.
She said her sister and her brother-in-law, Mr Yahya, 57, operate a canteen at a primary school in Yishun.

Madam Halimah said: 'Noorliza's mother and I are very close and when she learned about Noorliza's love for Mr Khoka, she told me about it. We found out that he was a good man and agreed that both of them should get married.

'He was a homely person who loved living near his family. When he married Noorliza, he decided to move in with her to her parents' home.'

She said that Mr Khoka's family in India has been informed of the tragedy and his brother would be flying to Singapore from Dubai soon.

Ms Lee said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority has granted MrKhoka's brother a five-week visa.

Labels: Drown