MELAKA - As his family members mourn the death of Corporal Kok Yuen Chin, one question keeps buzzing in their heads. "How come in a fire station, where they are supposed to save lives, my son had to die?" asks his father, Mr Kok Meng Hwa.

Cpl Kok, 22, died during celebrations for his operationally ready date that went horribly wrong on Sunday, when he was found at the bottom of Tuas View Fire Station's pump well - a reservoir of water used for training and the testing of fire engine pumps.