A construction worker died instantly after he was crushed by a collapsing cement brick wall at a private residential site.
The accident happened on Wednesday (Sep 17) around 1.05 pm at a landed property under construction at Toh Close, Upper Changi.
According to information displayed outside the site, work on the two-storey home started in May this year. The project is handled by Nic & Wes, a company that specialises in landed house design and construction.
When reporters from Lianhe Zaobao arrived at about 2.30 pm, several fire engines and police cars were at the scene. Police officers had set up cordons around the area.
The cement brick wall at the site showed visible cracks, and more than 15 migrant workers were seen waiting outside.
A neighbour, who did not want to be named, recalled hearing a loud, unusual metallic sound. “I heard screams, and one male worker was trapped. My wife and I could not bear to look,” he said.
Another resident said the original property was a one-and-a-half-storey home. The owner had recently begun reconstruction works to build a two-storey bungalow.
It is understood that at least two neighbouring homes had their backyards affected by the collapse, and residents there were also evacuated.
By about 3.15 pm, officers from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) arrived at the site to conduct inspections together with the police and the contractor.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said rescue personnel found a man trapped between two walls in the building under construction.
They used hydraulic rescue tools to free him, but paramedics later pronounced him dead at the scene.
Authorities, including the police, MOM and BCA, are investigating further.
