Mobile crane that crashed into Woodlands HDB block recovered 17 hours later

SINGAPORE - Nearly 17 hours after a mobile crane crashed into a building at Woodlands Centre, a recovery operation took barely 10 minutes to recover the machine.

Two rescue cranes were deployed in the recovery operation that ended at 2.30am on Thursday morning (Feb 25), reported The Straits Times, not before construction workers started removing debris and fastening the damaged crane with thick cables at around midnight.

The police had to cordon off the northbound side of Woodlands Centre Road during the recovery operation as curious onlookers gathered.

According to The Straits Times, loud bangs and crashes could be heard as the two recovery cranes hauled the fallen machine from the mangled debris.

The whole operation concluded at 3am when the incapacitated crane was later secured to a trailer.

Residents at Woodlands Centre awoke to a shocking scene on Wednesday morning, after the mobile crane crashed into a building, damaging one of its walls and some pillars.

Citizen journalism site Stomp reported that the incident happened at 6.45am at Block 2A, where a POSB branch is located.

Photos sent by a Stomp contributor showed pieces of concrete around the accident site.

According to Channel NewsAsia, the driver is believed to have lost control of the vehicle while making a turn at the junction of Admiralty Road and Woodlands Centre Road. The 36-year-old man was subsequently arrested.

Although a motorcycle was trapped under the vehicle, Channel NewsAsia reported that the police said no one was injured in the accident.

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