They joined SMRT only in January

For both young men, it was their first job.

Tragically, it turned out to be their last as well.

Mr Nasrulhudin Najumudin, 26, and Mr Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24, were undergoing training at SMRT when they died.

The two were part of a team of 15 track and signalling technicians who were investigating an alarm that had gone off at a servicing point on the tracks near Pasir Ris MRT station yesterday around 11.10am when they were hit by a train.

The bodies of the two men were found motionless and they were pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

SMRT said Mr Nasrulhudin and Mr Asyraf, who joined the company in January, were undergoing on-the-job training at the time of the accident.

Mr Nasri Najumudin, the eldest brother of Mr Nasrulhudin, said the SMRT job was his brother's first after completing national service last year. He was a Temasek Polytechnic engineering graduate.

Likewise, it was Mr Asyraf's first job after graduating from the Institute of Technical Education.

Speaking to The New Paper outside his Tampines flat yesterday evening, Mr Nasri, who is in his 30s, said that while they are grieving the loss of their loved one, they accept the tragedy as God's will.

JOVIAL

"He was a very jovial and friendly person, and we were all very close," Mr Nasri said softly of his brother, who was the third of four boys.

"Right now, we don't want to speculate as to what happened because SMRT is still conducting its investigations."

As friends and relatives streamed in and out of the flat, Mr Nasri and his younger brother thanked the guests for visiting the family.

One of the relatives who visited was their uncle, Mr Kamaruddin Mohammad Shabudin.

He had rushed down from Woodlands when he heard about the death of his nephew.

"He and I were close since he was a young boy," said the 52-year-old.

"We were very fond of him," he added, gesturing to his wife.

With tears in his eyes, he related how a young Mr Nasrulhudin would ask to be taken on trips.

Grieving relatives also described Mr Asyraf as a well-behaved son who never gave his family any trouble.

They said they were still trying to come to terms with the sudden news and declined to comment further.

His younger brother, younger sister and parents have been in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for a pilgrimage since last Thursday. They are expected to return today.

His older brother, who is in Singapore, was at the mortuary when TNP visited their relative's home at Lengkong Empat in Kembangan, where prayers were being held.

Many visitors streamed into the condominium to offer their condolences last night. They declined to comment further out of respect for Mr Asyraf's family.

tnp@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 23, 2016.
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