Woman injured after falling into 3m-deep Hougang drain following alleged dispute with daughter

A woman was injured after falling into a 3m-deep drain in Hougang following an alleged dispute with her daughter on Tuesday (July 14). 

Videos taken by passers-by show a woman lying in the drain while a man — reportedly a food delivery rider in a long-sleeved shirt and helmet — shields her with an umbrella.

Other clips shows several emergency personnel assisting and strapping her into a stretcher before lifting her out of the drain using a ladder. 

At least nine Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel went into the drain to assist with the rescue, reported Shin Min Daily News. 

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the SCDF said they received a call for assistance at around 11.50am that day near Block 698B Hougang Street 61. 

Upon arrival, the woman was found lying in a drain and SCDF personnel used a ladder to gain access into the drain to bring her out to safety.

The woman was subsequently taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. 

The police told AsiaOne that they received a call for assistance at about 11.45am that day. 

They said a 69-year-old woman was taken conscious to the hospital and apprehended under Section 7 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act 2008.

Sat on railing

The woman's daughter, 43, told Shin Min Daily News that she had gone out for a meal with her mother that morning. 

When she arrived at the scene, she saw the traffic light turn green and wanted to run across the road but was scolded by her mother for not waiting for her. 

She said that her mother, 69, then went to sit on the railing and then fell into the drain, after which she immediately called her younger brother for help.

The 69-year-old's husband, surnamed Zhuo, said he was terrified when he received the news but was relieved to see she had only sustained minor injuries. 

A shop assistant working nearby said that about 40 to 50 people had gathered at the scene and that a young man climbed into the drain to hold an umbrella over the woman, shielding her from the sun, reported Shin Min Daily News. 

The mother and daughter reportedly often dine at a nearby coffee shop, where several customers and vendors told the Chinese newspaper that they had seen the woman fall into the drain on multiple occasions. 

They also said that she lives in a HDB flat nearby. 

A coffee shop employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the woman, who reportedly brings her daughter to the coffee shop almost daily, usually visits twice a day — once in the morning for tea and then later again for a meal and beer. 

[[nid:740186]]

esther.lam@asiaone.com