Car falls into sinkhole at Tanjong Katong Road South; one person taken to hospital

[rainygrainy]

 

[qhong61]

More importantly, will she be compensated with a new car and not at the expense of her insurance?

Of cos

 

[yperic]

I visited the site of the sinkhole incident at Tanjong Katong Road South this afternoon and spoke to the media.

This is a serious incident. I have instructed the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment to form an internal investigation panel to look into the cause of this incident.

I would like to assure the public that PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency is conducting a very thorough and rigorous safety assessment, in consultation with Building and Construction Authority (Singapore) and Land Transport Authority – We Keep Your World Moving before confirming that the road can be reopened to the public.

 

[yperic]

 

[106gunner]

Is this first incident in SG where a vehicle actually drop into a sinkhole?

 

[106gunner]

I visited the site of the sinkhole incident at Tanjong Katong Road South this afternoon and spoke to the media.

This is a serious incident. I have instructed the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment to form an internal investigation panel to look into the cause of this incident.

I would like to assure the public that PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency is conducting a very thorough and rigorous safety assessment, in consultation with Building and Construction Authority (Singapore) and Land Transport Authority – We Keep Your World Moving before confirming that the road can be reopened to the public.

The driver woman is Heng that she came up alive and unscathed

Could the cave in is due to the work there given the accident location has digging going on?

 

[rainygrainy]

 

[snapp]

Recognition or tokenism?​

Earlier this week, authorities presented the seven workers involved in the sinkhole rescue with commemorative coins, with a minister of state describing their actions as "a very good example of how migrant workers help society in general".
But many have criticised the move as tokenism.
"No amount of 'thanking' them for their heroism should excuse the exploitative economic model that oppresses them every day to sustain the lives we live in Singapore," said Mr Kumarr.
Many echoed these thoughts on social, saying the men deserved more acknowledgement. Some called for them to be granted monetary rewards and even permanent residency.
Singapore's manpower ministry said in a statement to the BBC that it is "encouraged to receive feedback calling for more forms of appreciation" for migrant workers but did not address the specific suggestions raised.
"Their everyday acts of care and bravery deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated as part of who we are as a community," the ministry's spokesman said in response to queries.
Migrant rights group Its Raining Raincoats has raised S$72,000 ($55,840; £41,790) from its own fundraiser, which will be divided equally among the seven men.
"So many times, we have seen how these migrant workers risk their own lives to rescue many citizens, including children, from dangerous situations," said AKM Mohsin, who runs an activity centre for Bangladeshi workers in central Singapore.
"They make the news and are held up as excellent examples of humanitarian work, but their own humanity and human rights are constantly being violated at their workplaces, in how they are transported, and how they live," Mr Mohsin said.
However, there has been an increased awareness around migrant workers issues over the years.
Advocacy groups and the government have organised activities that bring workers and the broader community together.
Mr Mohsin, for instance, runs a space for migrant workers to write, dance, and play music – Singaporeans have helped translate and publish their works, and often provide an audience for their performances.
But some activists say most in the country still see migrant workers as a class that is separate and inferior to the local community.
Many live and work in industrial areas that are often further away from the city's residential regions.
In 2008, some 1,400 residents in Serangoon Gardens, an upper middle-class neighbourhood, petitioned against the construction of a migrant worker dormitory near their homes.
To placate them, authorities reduced the size of the dormitory and built a separate road for workers to access the dormitory.
"We basically see them as a different class of people. We expect to be served by them and believe that is the reason they are here," said Alex Au, vice president of advocacy group Transient Workers Count Too.
"Servants are supposed to leap to the aid of their masters."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0l6w3n50k0o

 

[oddbasket]

Next time no $10k reward money, don't rescue, so much for heroism

 

[skytan13]

dunno if anyone ask, just curious

lets say the car insurance deem as total lost.
Based on today vehicle price ? how the valuation based on.

cos like 5 yr ago COE 40k now 100k

 

[SpigotMaker]

Why no one talk about accountability? Was the sinkhole an act of God or caused by the all the digging and drilling done by the contractor? Which ministry is going to take responsibility for this and ensure it does not happen again elsewhere? Should an inquiry be done to see who failed in exercising a diligent of care to the public? And more importantly what punitive or criminal action will be taken against parties concerned...and I don't mean pushing the blame down the line....I mean the owners of the contracting ffirm or the highest ranking civil servant or minister to be held accountable either for the incident or the lapse of duty of care!

Understand from insiders that many contractors in Singapore cut corners. Since projects are usually awarded to those with the lowest price, it means that only the cheaters can survive and prosper.

And the thing is that on paper, the authorities are supposed to be responsible for overseeing the works to ensure that contractors follow the specifications. But most of the time they do not bother to do it, and leave the oversight to the contractor themselves, i.e. ownself check ownself. This is what allows, or even encourages, contractors to cut corners.

 

[sporeknight76]

From the vid posted, there was v strong current of water flowing below the road as it collapsed.
1. Is tis normal?
2. If no wat caused it?
3. Who is overall responsible for this accident?

 

[tmkedmw]

Singapore collapse reignites debate over migrant workers' rights​

Image source,PUB
image caption:Seven Indian workers used ropes to hoist a woman to safety after her car fell into a sinkhole

• Kelly Ng
• Role,BBC reporter from Singapore
• August 1, 2025

A 3-meter (10-foot) deep sinkhole appeared on a busy road in Singapore on Saturday, engulfing a black Mazda car and prompting a group of workers at a nearby construction site to spring into action.

They grabbed a rope from the construction site, threw it into the sinkhole, and gave it to the female driver who had gotten out of the car.
In less than five minutes, they had her to safety.

“I was scared, but all I wanted was to rescue the woman first,” Suppiah Pitchai Udaiyappan, a construction site foreman, later told reporters.

Video of the accident quickly went viral on social media, with many praising the workers as heroes.

Mr Udayappan is a "guest worker" - a term used in Singapore to describe the 1.17 million migrant workers who have come to this wealthy city from low-income countries such as Bangladesh, India and Myanmar.
The vast majority of them work in low-paying, labour-intensive jobs that Singaporeans are unwilling to do.

This is not the first time that foreign workers have served as first responders in Singapore. In April this year, four of them helped rescue children trapped in a shophouse after a fire.

Their latest action has reignited debate about the rights, or lack thereof, of low-wage workers in Singapore.
Singapore's fast-growing economy is built on the backs of these foreign workers, who make up nearly three-quarters of the country's foreign workforce, many of whom work in industries such as construction, shipbuilding and manufacturing.

While Singapore has no minimum wage, advocacy groups say these workers earn as little as S$300 (US$233; £175) a month and live in crowded dormitories, often far from residential areas.

However, they often face abuses from recruitment agencies and their employers, including overwork, unpaid labor, and poor living conditions. These problems are well documented, but activists say the treatment of these foreign workers has barely changed over the years.

"Today, you cheer them on. Tomorrow, you generalize them as cheats, liars, and dirty people," social worker Suraendher Kumar wrote on Instagram in response to the sinkhole incident.

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, workers’ dormitories became breeding grounds for the virus, with hundreds of workers testing positive every day, exposing their living conditions.
This sparked public debate about conditions in workers' dormitories — something advocates had warned about for decades — and authorities subsequently took action to improve standards.

Another long-standing issue is the use of flatbed trucks to transport these workers, which has been brought to the forefront again by the sinkhole incident.
“There’s a poignant poetry in the way they risked their lives to save a Singaporean who was in a truck, most likely being transported on the back of a foreign worker,” said Mr. Kumar of the activist group Workers Make Possible.

Singapore law prohibits people from riding in the cargo area of such trucks except in medical emergencies, but this is permitted if they are employed by the truck owner.
Sometimes as many as a dozen workers were crammed into the back of a flatbed truck without seatbelts. It's an economical option for many employers who also use trucks to transport goods.

But this led to several accidents, some of which resulted in fatalities.
In April 2021, a truck carrying two foreign workers collided with a stationary flatbed truck, killing the two workers and injuring more than a dozen people.

In 2024, a similar accident killed at least four workers and injured more than 400.

Image source,BBC/Gavin Butler
image caption:Activists have been lobbying for years to ban the use of trucks to transport workers.

Activists have long lobbied to ban the mode of transport, and the issue frequently comes up in parliamentary debates, but little has changed.

The Singapore government has repeatedly said that while it has been encouraging businesses to use buses to transport workers, an outright ban on such trucks is not feasible for small businesses.

"Many businesses may be forced to close as a result, resulting in job losses for both local and foreign workers," a senior government minister told Parliament in February.

"This will also lead to delays in key projects such as (public housing), schools, hospitals and (rail) lines, and result in higher costs of living for Singaporeans."

Activists have criticized authorities for depriving workers of their rights solely for economic reasons, noting that other countries that rely heavily on migrant workers, such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, have banned truck transports.

Mr Kumar suggested that the levy on foreign workers could be used to subsidise other modes of transport, rather than passing the costs on to businesses and consumers.

Jaya Anil Kumar, a senior researcher at the Migrant Economic Humanitarian Organization, another group that advocates for migrant rights, said the government’s rhetoric remains focused on “maintaining the status quo and giving employers too much power over the lives and livelihoods of migrant workers.”

Banning truckers is just one of a series of reforms advocates are calling for, including a living wage, stronger whistleblower protections and subsidized health care.
Despite dedicating decades to Singapore, these workers are unable to put down roots in the country because they hold different types of work passes than foreign professionals and executives.

No matter how long they have worked in Singapore, they cannot obtain permanent residency. For example, Mr. Udayapan, who led the tiankeng rescue operation last weekend, has worked here for 22 years.
Work pass holders also need government approval to marry Singaporeans - another issue that activists have highlighted for years.

“Legislative reforms have been slow to materialize because there is insufficient political will to implement impactful changes,” said Ms. Anil Kumar.

Image source,Getty Images
image caption:Singapore was built on the back of foreign workers, most of whom work in low-paying jobs that locals are unwilling to take.

Recognition or tokenism?​

Earlier this week, authorities awarded commemorative coins to seven workers involved in the tiankeng rescue, with a state minister calling their actions "a very good example of how migrant workers can help society as a whole."

But many criticized the move as merely symbolic.
"No matter how many times we 'thank' them for their heroism, it cannot excuse the exploitative economic model that oppresses them every day to sustain our lives in Singapore," said Mr Kumar.

Many people on social media echoed the sentiment that these individuals deserve greater recognition, with some calling for financial rewards or even permanent residency.

In a statement to the BBC, Singapore's Ministry of Manpower said it "encourages the public to contribute ideas and suggestions for further ways to demonstrate recognition", but did not respond to specific suggestions.

"The acts of compassion and courage they demonstrate every day deserve recognition and praise as part of our community," a ministry spokesperson said in response to reporters' questions.

Migrant rights group Its Raining Raincoats raised S$72,000 (US$55,840; £41,790) through its fundraising campaign, which will be divided equally between the seven people.

“We have seen many times that these migrant workers risked their lives to rescue many citizens, including children, from dangerous situations,” said AKM Mohsin, who runs a Bangladeshi workers’ centre in central Singapore.

“They make headlines as outstanding examples of humanitarian work, yet their own humanity and human rights are continually violated in the places they work, how they travel and how they live,” said Mr. Mohsen.

However, over the years, awareness of the issues of migrant workers has grown.
Advocacy groups and the government organized events to bring workers and the broader community together.

Mr. Mohsin, for example, runs a space where foreign workers write, dance and play music, and Singaporeans help translate and publish their work and often provide audiences for their performances.
But some activists say most Singaporeans still view foreign workers as a group alien to the local community and of inferior status.
Many people live and work in industrial areas, which are often far from residential areas of the city.

In 2008, about 1,400 residents of Serangoon Gardens, an upper-middle-class neighborhood, signed a petition opposing the construction of migrant worker dormitories near their homes.

To appease them, the authorities reduced the size of the dormitories and built a separate road leading to the dormitories for the workers.

“We essentially view them as a different group. We expect their services and believe that’s why they’re here,” said Alex Au, vice president of the advocacy group Transient Workers Count Too.

"A servant should lend a helping hand to his master."

 

[Skoda29]

Impossible to be $300/mth.

 

[spunkbrat]

 

[ceestudent]

Haizz bbc stir shiat about SG again.

 

[GhostZM]

I pity the real victim..lost her car and now focus being diverted to other issue..lol


CheerS!!!

 

[maosaikopi]

nsf also ride in back of tonner and earn even less than bangla worker

means what?

 

[2yearswastedlife]

bbc is cia black hand la. trump already say FAKE NEWS.

only trust in pap. can never go wrong. PAP WAN SUI WAN SUI WAN WAN SUI. EMPEROR LEE FOR LIFE!!!

 

[runny yolk]

There is nothing wrong with riding on the back of trucks, accidents happen mostly because the truck drivers are reckless. Educate the truck drivers first