Police seal road after orange fumes seen at Tuas chemical plant

Police seal road after orange fumes seen at Tuas chemical plant

SINGAPORE - Police had to cordon off a road leading to a Tuas chemical plant after orange fumes were seen billowing from it on Monday morning (Oct 26).

A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesperson told AsiaOne that they were alerted to the waste fumes emitting from a storage tank at 11.17am along 10A Tuas Ave 12.

According to Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao, three fire engines, an ambulance, and four support vehicles were present at the scene.

Two water jets were deployed to conduct a dispersion of the vapour, SCDF said. The fumes were dispersed within 15mins.

Police officers had to urge about 20 curious onlookers to disperse for their safety, Lianhe Wanbao reported.

Around 10 people had self-evacuated before SCDF's arrival, and no injuries were reported.

An employee of the plant told Lianhe Wanbao that the fumes were believed to have been created after chemicals were added to a storage tank.

[[nid:233180]]

Mr Wen, who works near the Tuas chemical plant, told the Chinese daily that there was a nauseating smell emitting from the scene after the orange smoke was spotted, triggering fears of an imminent explosion.

Fortunately, rescue personnel who were onsite allayed fears of an explosion. However, Lianhe Wanbao reported that hints of the orange fumes were still present at 2pm, nearly three hours after the vapour was dispersed by SCDF officers.

A food court staff near the affected chemical plant also told Lianhe Wanbao that business was affected due to the road closure, with earnings plummeting by 50 per cent.

grongloh@sph.com.sg

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.