Singaporean killed in Italy blast: Remains found in rubble likely those of his wife

SINGAPORE: After days of searching, the remains of a woman, likely to be Makansutra food guide founder K.F. Seetoh’s sister-in-law, have been found near the villa in Italy’s Tuscany region where a deadly explosion took place just before Christmas.

Seetoh’s elder brother, Seetoh Kwok Meng, 68, was also killed in the Dec 21 blast. His body was found the next day.

On Dec 25, the remains of a woman, who was most likely Chang Kai-en, 52, were discovered by a sniffer dog close to the couple’s holiday villa in Molazzana, said an Italian rescue group involved with the search.

Tests are ongoing to confirm the identity of the woman after initial assessments by an on-site coroner.

The Straits Times understands that her brother had earlier arrived in Italy to await the outcome of the search.

Bayla, from an Italian police canine rescue unit, helped in the search for Chang Kai-en. — PHOTO: ANPANA.LUCCA/FACEBOOK

“For the last part of your life, you left hand in hand with the one you loved the most, and for that I am filled with gratitude,” he wrote in Chinese on Facebook, referring to her relationship with the elder Mr Seetoh, adding that he would take care of their parents.

Following the explosion, believed to be linked to a gas leak, search and rescue groups had spent nearly four days looking for Ms Chang in the vicinity of the villa in the province of Lucca, some 70km away from Florence.

The discovery of the woman’s remains was made by a specially trained dog called Bayla of the police canine rescue unit from Bologna.

The couple had returned to their villa after dinner on the night of Dec 21, before the explosion took place at around 11.45pm, according to local media. A loud bang was heard and the house caught fire before collapsing.

K.F. Seetoh paid tribute to his sibling on Dec 24.

The elder Seetoh had spent time in Taiwan while with Tan Chong Motors and was also a former chairperson of the Singapore Association in Taiwan which arranged activities for the Singaporean community living on the island. – The Straits Times/ANN