Two days after Scott Monat died at his campus residence, NUS Deputy President Tan Eng Chye revealed details of the incident in an email circular sent Friday to students and staff.

This is the first official account of events since Monat died on March 4.

Monat, a second-year neurobiology major from the University of Miami at Coral Gables, was with a friend in the early hours of March 4 when he collapsed in his room at Prince George’s Park Residences, following some breathing difficulties.

In the email, Tan wrote, “A friend who was with Scott at the time had sent the alert when Scott collapsed in his room following some breathing difficulties.”

Tan also wrote in the email, “Scott was admitted to the nearby National University Hospital at about 5.30 a.m. Unfortunately, he did not respond to medical treatment there and passed away at about 6.20 a.m.”

Daniel Seng, associate professor and resident advisor at PGPR, was alerted to the emergency initially by the friend who was with Monat when he collapsed, Tan wrote.

However, the email circular did not mention whether the friend who was with Monat was a resident of PGPR or an NUS student.

Monat’s cousin arrived from Hong Kong Thursday as a family representative. He was accompanied by Wong Sek Man, vice dean and professor from the Faculty of Science, to the Singapore General Hospital Mortuary and the Singapore Casket.

Monat’s body was flown back home Friday.

According to a report in “The Miami Hurricane,” a UM student newspaper, Monat was a recipient of the Isaac Bashevis Singer scholarship, the highest honour for scholarship awarded at the university.

The Hurricane also reported that he was a member of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Edward T. and Roberta Foote Fellows and was an active student leader.

At Monat’s home university, more than 50 students, friends and staff attended a memorial gathering at an on-campus Jewish student centre Wednesday to pay tribute to him.

More than 700 people have since joined a Facebook group set up in his memory.