Watch your step: Parts of ceiling at Nex fall as water leaks to the floor

Two years have passed since a ventilation duct collapsed at a cinema in Nex. But with this latest safety hazard at the shopping centre in Serangoon, is it a case of deja vu?

Parts of a ceiling fell in Nex on Saturday (Aug 6) and in a TikTok video shared by Luckboonluck on the same day, it showed the damage from the ceiling of Basement 1 at the mall, with debris strewn on the floor at Basement 2.

The area that contained bits of plaster was also cordoned off, according to the TikTok user.

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With the video garnering over 300,000 views, several netizens were concerned about the safety of shoppers at Nex, while others expressed their relief of avoiding the accident. 

The collapsed ceiling was caused by a plumbing issue from a tenant's floor trap, a Nex spokesperson told local media on the same day, adding that the water had also leaked down to the basement floors.

"Contractors were deployed to fix the choke which was resolved by 11pm," the mall's spokesperson said, adding that no one had been affected by the incident.

While several tenants at Basement 2 had to suspend operations until the issue was rectified, the area is now open and accessible to all shoppers, the Nex spokesperson said.

In a previous safety issue at the same shopping centre, a ventilation duct at Shaw Theatres came crashing down during an afternoon movie screening in Aug 2020.

Although no one was trapped under the debris, a Shaw Theatres spokesperson confirmed that two people were injured and were taken to a hospital.

chingshijie@asiaone.com