A sinkhole abruptly opened along Tanjong Katong Road South the evening of July 26, swallowing a car and injuring its female driver. The road collapsed adjacent to an active Public Utilities Board (PUB) worksite where crews were constructing a 16-metre-deep sewer shaft.
At a press briefing on July 29, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) Grace Fu described the event as a “serious incident” that “should not have happened” and issued a heartfelt apology “on behalf of MSE and PUB” to the injured driver, affected residents and road users inconvenienced by the closure and diversions.
Minister Fu also announced the formation of an internal investigation panel comprising experts in relevant fields tasked with determining causation and proposing preventive measures across future sewer-construction sites. Meanwhile, she stated PUB would “fully cooperate” with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) in a separate independent probe, both expected to take several months.
She also commended the migrant workers who promptly rescued the female driver within minutes. She was then transported to Raffles Hospital with muscular soreness and remains in stable condition.
The seven foreign workers, namely Mr Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, Mr Sathapillai Rajendran, Mr Velmuragan Muthusamy, Mr Poomalai Saravanan, Mr Ganesan Veerasekar, Mr Bose Ajithkumar, and Mr Narayanasamy Mayakrishnan, were given tokens of appreciation on the night of July 27.
Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash rewarded them with Friends of ACE coins when he visited them at their dormitory, he said in a Facebook video. Mr Subbiah’s quick thinking, along with that of his fellow workers have since drawn widespread praise, with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam also acknowledging their bravery.
“Bravo! Thanks to the migrant workers led by foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah. They moved quickly and with courage,” he said in a Facebook post on Sunday evening. They have also been invited to The Istana Open House by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
There has since been online discourse about whether the coins were sufficient compensation for the prompt and selfless act by the migrant workers. At the time of writing, migrant worker support organisation, ItsRainingRaincoats has raised S$72,241 from 1,639 donors that will be split and divided between the migrant workers.
The Straits Times
