Car falls into Tanjong Katong sinkhole, driver taken to hospital

A sinkhole appeared in Tanjong Katong Road this evening (July 26).

From videos posted to social media, a car can be seen floating in the waterlogged hole. 

PUB said in a Facebook post that the incident occurred today at approximately 5pm at the junction of Tanjong Katong Road and Mountbatten Road, adjacent to an existing PUB worksite. Two lanes of the road were affected.

PUB added: "One vehicle fell into the sinkhole. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rescued the female driver, and conveyed her conscious to Raffles Hospital.

"The police, SCDF, and Land Transport Authority (LTA) are currently on site managing the situation. Both directions of the affected road have been closed to traffic. Motorists are advised to avoid the area and use alternative routes."

Two water mains were damaged in the incident and PUB is isolating the affected water mains.

AsiaOne noticed that the footpath along a section of the walkway outside One Amber condominium, beside the sinkhole, is also closed to pedestrians.

Two lorries were also seen approaching the sinkhole, presumably carrying materials to fill the sinkhole. 

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Mr Ho, 70, who lives 500m from the incident, told AsiaOne that work has been ongoing at the site for many months. He is concerned and hopes PUB and the relevant agencies would check similar sites for safety.

Goh Pei Ming, the MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, was seen at the site. 

In an interview with AsiaOne, Goh said the driver was rescued from the sinkhole with assistance from workers at the site. SCDF conveyed her conscious to the hospital via ambulance and she is currently undergoing brain scans.

He said the priority now is to ascertain the structural safety and integrity of the area, and the agencies involved are bringing in radar machines to understand the situation below ground. Once safety has been ascertained, they will put into effect restoration plans including draining the water, extracting the vehicle and repairing the road as quickly as possible but safely to minimise disruption.

He also requested patience from the public to give agencies the time to work through the steps in a systematic and safe manner.

Also speaking to reporters at the site was Herman Ching, director of the Water Reclamation Department in PUB.  

When asked, he said they do not have enough information at the moment on the cause of the sinkhole - which measured two-lane wide with a depth of three metres - and they will be investigating this further.

He also said the driver suffered shoulder pain but was able to walk when she was conveyed to the hospital.

Ching added: "To ensure public safety, we have closed the roads on both sides. We will be arranging for a ground penetration radar to scan the ground to make sure there's no other cavity in the ground.

"As we proceed with the recovery work, which involves draining out the sinkhole, recovery of the vehicle, backfilling of the sinkhole and reinstatement of the road, safety of our workers remains our top priority. As the night falls, we will proceed with this carefully to make sure everyone is safe."

There's no major water disruptions, he said, though there could be a few households who experience low pressure, and the agency is making alternative arrangements to back up the supply. 

A Building and Construction Authority (BCA) spokesperson said in a statement their engineers have carried out preliminary checks on the nearby One Amber condominium and the landed houses across the road, and confirmed that the buildings are not affected by the incident.

"As a precautionary measure and to ensure the safety of surrounding buildings and the worksite, stabilisation works have commenced. BCA, LTA and PUB are closely monitoring the ongoing repair works and overall safety of the area," they added. 

 

 

 

 

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kwokkarpeng@asiaone.com