THE grieving family of Gan Hon Tat, his wife Careen Man, and their three-year-old son Darren are struggling to accept the sudden loss of the young family following a fatal boat capsize off Tanjung Harapan.
“My heart aches and I have been crying non-stop, but I’m starting to accept that I will not see them again, no matter how much I cry and wail,” The Star reported Gan’s mother, 54-year-old Chan Pei Pei saying.
Gan, 32, Man, 29, and their only child Darren were among five individuals killed when the vessel they were aboard overturned just 0.3 nautical miles off the coast on Friday.
The incident also claimed the lives of the boat’s owner Cheu Son Hin, 50, and a mechanic, Fong Yong Sen, 29. The sole survivor is Fong’s 17-year-old apprentice, Alvin Chang Yan Qin.
Gan and his family had been living with his parents and younger sister. Their absence has left a profound void in the once vibrant household.
“My grandson won’t be in the house anymore,” said Chan quietly.
Her husband, Gan Leong Seng, 58, sat in silence at the funeral parlour in Taman Sentosa yesterday, as family and friends gathered to bid farewell to the young family.
Gan’s elder brother, Gan Hong Chuan, 35, described the loss as incomprehensible. “My wife, two daughters and I went to i-City on Monday with them. And on Wednesday, my wife and I met up with my brother and his family, along with four friends, for dinner in Klang Utama.
“Two days later, all three of them are gone,” said Hong Chuan, who works at an engineering firm.
He said the couple had been working tirelessly to grow their seafood supply business, which was finally beginning to show promise. They also delivered seafood to the Royal Selangor Yacht Club, where they often met with friends – including Cheu, the boat owner involved in the incident.
“My brother had even started another business supplying bait to anglers,” The Star him saying.
Sentosa assemblyman Gunaraj George, who visited the grieving family, expressed his condolences.
“It is a tragedy to see an entire young family wiped out this way in such a cruel twist of fate,” he said. “The couple were building a happy life with their son, and this had to happen.” - June 10, 2025
