'Crying and bleeding': 3, including pregnant woman, taken to hospital after Liat Towers false ceiling collapses

Three people, including a pregnant woman, were taken to the hospital on Friday (Sept 12) afternoon after a false ceiling collapsed at Liat Towers on Orchard Road.

A video posted on TikTok by user _Am0re_ shows the aftermath, where the structure can be seen upside down outside acai shop Swirl Lover. 

Another clip shows several Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel attending to a woman on the ground.

Photos posted on Facebook also show concrete strewn about.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the SCDF stated that they received a call for assistance at 541 Orchard Road at about 4pm. They conveyed two people to Singapore General Hospital and another person to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Eyewitnesses said that one of the injured was a pregnant woman.

A student, Denzel Tear, was studying at the Starbucks outlet next door at the time of the incident and told reporters present that he saw two of the injured people, one girl with a cut on her nose and a pregnant woman. 

The latter was "quite badly injured" and an ambulance was called for her, arriving within 10 to 15 minutes.

According to The Straits Times, the 18-year-old recalled that there were around six people trapped underneath the false ceiling when it collapsed, and said: "I saw an international school student around my age crying and bleeding from the nose. I think she hit her head as well."

Another eyewitness, Czandrya Cheong, said that around 10 people helped to lift the structure off those who were trapped.

"We all came out and we saw the ceiling half-fallen," CNA reported the 17-year-old saying. "So we all went out to help hold the ceiling up so the people underneath could crawl out."

Some even volunteered to crawl underneath it to "retrieve the victims' personal belongings", she said.

False ceiling installed by tenant

The Straits Times reported that a representative of the building's management said that the collapsed false ceiling was installed by the tenant.

According to a spokesperson from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), the structural integrity of Liat Towers remains unaffected. 

"Preliminary findings show that the incident is localised and likely due to improper installation of the suspended ceiling," the statement added.

The BCA has also instructed the owner of Liat Towers to appoint a qualified person to advise on necessary precautions to remove danger, and recommend permanent fixes after the incident.

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drimac@asiaone.com