December 24, 2024
SINGAPORE – A sibling of veteran food critic K.F. Seetoh has died after a suspected gas explosion at his holiday home in Tuscany.
Mr Seetoh Kwok Meng, 68, was with his wife Chang Kai En, who was from Taiwan, when the disaster struck late at night on Dec 21.
Mr Seetoh’s body was found under the rubble the next morning. Rescue workers were still looking for the body of Ms Chang, 52, on Dec 23.
News outlet Il Tirreno first reported the incident, saying that the explosion happened in the Italian town of Molazzana, where the couple would spend their holidays after buying a house there a few years ago.
The couple reportedly had just returned from dinner when a gas leak was believed to have caused the explosion that could be heard in the surrounding villages.
News outlet The Pinnacle Gazette reported that the walls of the house collapsed as flames engulfed the property.
The fire was put out by some 25 firefighters from both the Castelnuovo and Lucca fire departments.
Mr K.F. Seetoh, also the founder of local food guide Makansutra and curator of the Urban Hawker food centre in New York City, confirmed the couple’s deaths in a Facebook post late on Dec 23.
He called his brother “the most jovial” among his siblings, and said that Mr Seetoh Kwok Meng had found a peaceful retirement house and life in Tuscany with his second wife, Ms Chang.
Ms Chang was fond of her garden and the couple’s neighbours would take care of it when they travelled to Singapore, he added.
His brother, said Mr K.F. Seetoh, bought the solid stone house a few years back from the couple’s tour guide while they were on holiday in Tuscany.
“I regret I never found the chance to visit and ‘eat fruits off the tree’. It was on my bucket list. That century-old stone house came down like a deck of cards upon explosion and death was instantaneous for both of them.
“Of course I will miss them all. Rest in peace Ah Meng and Kai En,” Mr K.F. Seetoh wrote on Facebook.
The Straits Times understands that Mr K.F. Seetoh and family members are receiving assistance from Singapore’s diplomatic mission in Italy.
Mr Peter Yap, a friend of the late Mr Seetoh, spoke of his death in a Facebook post on Dec 22.
Mr Yap said he had just spoken to his friend a few weeks earlier about Mr Seetoh returning to Singapore to celebrate Chinese New Year.
“The local emergency services found his body in the rubble of his home, which was to be his sanctuary of a new life with his wonderful wife Kai En, but instead it became his tomb.
“Thanks for the incredible memories we had together working in Tan Chong and MotorImage. It was a fun journey,” Mr Yap said.
Neighbours of the couple in Molazzana have described them as cordial.
Mr Andrea Talani, mayor of Molazzana, called the incident “truly a great tragedy”.
“The impact of this loss is deeply felt across our community,” he was quoted as saying by The Pinnacle Gazette.
According to Mr Seetoh Kwok Meng’s LinkedIn profile, he used to be chief operating officer of Taiwan Motor Image, a subsidiary of car dealer Tan Chong.
- Fatimah Mujibah is a journalist at The Straits Times who covers both local and international breaking news, as well as current affairs.