28 hurt in three-bus crash in Changi Road

An accident involving three public buses along Changi Road yesterday morning left at least 28 people injured.

When the dust settled, service 67 operated by SMRT was sandwiched between SBS Transit's service 7 in front and service 2 in the back. The impact of the collision, occurring at a bus stop near the Kassim Mosque, flung some passengers from their seats.

Of the injured, 28 were taken conscious to the Changi General Hospital by ambulance and support vehicles, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and police, who were alerted at about 9.30am.

The crash shattered the windscreens of two buses, and badly damaged the front of the service 2 bus.

A hospital spokesman said most of the victims sustained minor injuries and had either been discharged or referred to outpatient clinics and polyclinics for follow-ups.

Mr Soh Hoe Poh, 49, a passenger on service 2, had a deep gash under his nose that required stitches. "The impact of the crash threw me forward and I banged my nose against the seat in front," said Mr Soh, who works in a coffee shop.

His wife, Madam Leo Kim Eng, 38, suffered a cracked bone in her forearm that she said would take at least four weeks to heal.

Their daughter, Soh Huey Xing, nine, was unscathed.

"Luckily, she is okay. We were on the upper deck and she wanted to sit right in front, behind the windscreen. It's a good thing we took the second and third rows instead," he said in Mandarin.

The SCDF said it sent a fire engine, three ambulances and three support vehicles to the accident scene.

Mr Patrick Nathan, SMRT's vice-president of corporate information and communications, confirmed that 10 passengers on service 67 had been injured.

"Our immediate priority was the safety and care of all affected passengers. Our bus captain assisted to transfer the remaining passengers to the next bus to continue their journey," he added. "We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will be extending assistance to the injured passengers."

Ms Tammy Tan, SBS Transit's senior vice-president of corporate communications, also apologised to commuters. "We have sent several teams to the hospital to meet (the injured passengers) to extend care and concern." she said.

Several people at shops and homes nearby said they heard a loud collision and saw black smoke coming out of one of the buses.

Investigations are ongoing.

limyihan@sph.com.sg

adrianl@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 5, 2015.
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