Update 29 Feb 2020: Ceiling concrete slab falls in toilet of old Toa Payoh flat, narrowly misses domestic worker
A foreign domestic worker in her 20s was just about to clean the toilet of a Toa Payoh flat when a huge chunk of the ceiling broke off and smashed into the toilet bowl.
“It was a close call for her… We really have to count our blessings,” Mr Alan Fu told TODAY on Thursday (Feb 27).
On Wednesday, the 55-year-old IT manager received a phone text message from the domestic helper when he was at the foot of the public housing block and went into a bit of a panic.
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Concrete slab estimated to be 10kg collapses from a HDB flat ceiling in Toa Payoh; netizens shared their own concrete experiences
A huge block of concrete collapsed from the ceiling in a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat toilet at Toa Payoh when a foreign domestic helper was about to clean the toilet, TODAY reported on Thursday (27 February).
The incident occurred on Wednesday (26 February) at around 5pm.
According to TODAY, IT manager Alan Fu, 55, said the domestic helper informed him about the incident via text message when he was at the foot of the public housing block.
Elderly man injured after chair gives way at newly upgraded Teck Ghee hawker centre
A 70-yr-old man who was having a meal at Teck Ghee Square hawker centre on Sunday night (Jun 2) suffered injuries to his head after the chair he was seated on came apart, causing him to fall.
Photos of the incident have been circulating on Facebook and online discussion forum Reddit since late on Sunday night.
Spots of blood can be seen next to the man, who is sitting on the ground next to the seat of a chair that appears to have fallen apart from its base. A younger man is seen applying something to the back of the victim's head, presumably to stop him from bleeding.
Door falls on woman at carpark lift lobby of Alexandra Central Mall
A woman was taken to hospital after a door fell on her at the carpark lift lobby of Alexandra Central Mall on Sunday evening (Feb 24).
Several Stompers alerted Stomp to a video of the incident, which occurred on the fourth floor of the building at around 6.24pm.
In the video, a man is seen entering the lift lobby through its doors. A woman then follows behind.
Koufu-run foodcourt in HDB Hub closes for nearly 3 hours after pipe burst, false ceiling collapse
A foodcourt run by Koufu was shut for almost 3 hours on Sunday morning (Oct 7), after a burst pipe soaked parts of the basement foodcourt in water & caused a section of the premises' false ceiling to collapse.
In response to queries, Koufu group chief operating officer Choo Teck Chuan told The Straits Times that business at the Gourmet Paradise outlet in Toa Payoh HDB Hub was temporarily disrupted between 8.55am & 11.30am.
"Upon investigation, we found that the joint of the water pipe gave way. This has since been rectified and it was business as usual by noon," Mr Choo said.
Air-conditioner compressor fell on man
Wall tiles in HDB kitchens & bathrooms suddenly crack & pop
Following reports of “exploding” floor tiles in Housing Development Board (HDB) public housing units, homeowners have been highlighting that the tiles on the walls of their units are also becoming dislodged and falling off the walls in alarming new reports.
More homeowners have reported that the wall tiles in their kitchens and bathrooms have been popping up and becoming dislodged, after this video of wall tiles falling off the kitchen wall in a HDB flat began circulating online.
The homeowner or tenant who shot the video appears to have posted the video online anonymously but claims that the unit featured in the video is a 20-year-old HDB flat located in Jurong West and that the tiles came loose a few months before the video was shot so they secured it with tape before that measure too failed. Others reported experiencing the same thing in their homes after the video was shared on social media.
related: Floor tiles suddenly crack with explosive sounds at yet another HDB flat
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Floor tiles in some HDB flats popping up or cracking
Residents of HDB flats in several areas who found tiles in their homes popping up or cracked are advised to move them to a safe spot & cover the affected space with cardboard.
The Housing Board also said in a Facebook post yesterday that it was aware of the cases reported in Sengkang, Woodlands, Toa Payoh, Bukit Panjang & Jurong West.
Residents of these places had posted on Facebook over the weekend videos and photos of dislodged tiles, mostly on their floors.
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The woes of DBSS residents
Shattering Glass Doors, Flooding Complaints at New Trivelis DBSS Flat
About 500 residents of the new Trivelis HDB flats have formed a committee to address the issues of poor quality in their homes.
Most shockingly, shower glass panels prone to shattering, and narrow common corridors prone to flooding. Other problems include “kitchen cabinet dimensions that do not allow for a standard-sized oven to be fitted, pole-system wardrobes that lack shelves, defective stove knobs, stain-prone kitchen countertops and rusty dish racks”
The residents also complain that exposed sanitary pipes and water heaters in the actual flats were not depicted in the show-flats.
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Spate of Mishaps at Crown Jewel
It seems that visitors to Jewel Changi Airport are also treated to leaking ceilings and flooded floors, less than three days after the new complex opened for previews.
Two videos of leaks spotted online .In a video published on April 13, water can be seen pouring from the ceiling of a corridor in Jewel Changi Airport.
In another video, up to four staff can be seen trying to sweep away water from a flooded area in the Changi Airport Terminal 1 Arrival Hall which is cordoned off.
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Rise in major breakdowns but MRT gets more reliable
Under mounting pressure over transport inefficiencies and lack of transparency, former army general Chew Men Leong resigned from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on August 6. His 22-month-long tenure as CEO was the shortest in the history of Singapore’s civil service.
“[In the coming months] I will be making a change of career over to the private sector,” commented Chew Men Leong on his decision, but it is believed that his departure from LTA had been sped up by frequent MRT failures and public dissatisfaction with increasing fares.
The failing system - Since gaining independence in 1965, Singapore has undergone a rapid urbanisation. The island city-state’s total area measures only 274 square miles and it is currently inhabited by 5,7 million people, making it one of the most densely populated territories in the world.
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MRT from "Rolling Stock To Laughing Stock"
The public scolding that Singapore’s public transport tsars handed down this week to a handful of rail maintenance workers over a large-scale breakdown is raising questions about where the buck stops in the management of the Lion City’s metro network, as rival Asian metropolises like Hong Kong and Taiwan pull ahead with superior train reliability.
In a rare move, transport minister Khaw Boon Wan on Monday criticised workers in charge of anti-flood measures at the metro operator SMRT Corp, after an October 7 flood in a underground tunnel near the suburban Bishan station caused a near 20-hour disruption to parts of the rail network. It was one of Singapore’s worst ever rail breakdowns.
A mechanism designed to remove stormwater from the tunnel failed to work because it was poorly maintained. Khaw said the maintenance team had “failed us”, and urged the metro operator to “nail down who [is] responsible”. “I look to SMRT to do what is right … something must happen to the staff,” Khaw said.
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Ensure structural safety of HDB blocks before injury or death result
A decorative panel fell 40 storeys from an HDB block in Bendemeer Road "with a loud crash” next to a playground. And this is not the first such incident. Just days before, a part of an HDB block's decorative cladding fell off its facade at Block 270 in Pasir Ris town. A resident said that it sounded like a “very loud cluster of thunder.”
Again, HDB and the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council gave the standard non-answer that “a piece of decorative cladding had dislodged from the facade" of the block and that “the building is structurally safe.” There were several other similar incidents:
- 25 September 2016, a concrete slab broke off from Block 201E at Tampines
- 19 October 2016, a cladding panel fell off Block 51, Circuit Road
- 29 November 2016, a slab of plaster fell 12 storeys from an HDB block in Hougang
- 1 April 2017, two aluminium panels fell off an HDB block at Indus Road
The authorities said that the cladding panels broke off due to wear and tear. But the buildings involved are relative new. Yet, pieces are breaking off and endangering public safety. HDB blocks have also been plagued with faulty lifts that have resulted in residents being injured including one death.
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Spate of facade cladding falling off
Decorative panel falls from HDB block again, this time in Bendemeer
Don’t forget your industrial-strength umbrella when you walk home these couple of days because it’s been cloudy with a chance of falling metal in Singapore. Decorative fixtures in particular.
A panel fell 40 stories from the top of an HDB block in Bendemeer Road last Saturday evening (June 23) around 7pm, The Straits Times reported. It fell onto a grass patch near a playground, according to a witness. While no one was hurt, the ground area beneath the facade was cordoned off as a precaution. HDB and the Jalan Besar Town Council also said they plan to perform checks on nearby blocks with similar facade materials. “The panel is part of the block facade design and is non-structural,” said the Housing Board in a Tuesday statement to The Straits Times. “The building is structurally safe.”
The Bendemeer road incident comes less than a week after a remarkably similar incident at a Pasir Ris housing block.
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Spate of lift accidents
Singapore family traumatised after faulty HDB lift surges up twice
A family of 4 were left traumatised after a lift they were in suddenly surged upwards, overshot the designated floor and went to the 14th floor, before descending back to the ground floor, & then ascending to the 14th floor again -- despite the display showing it was on the 9th storey.
The incident happened at Lift Lobby B of Block 670 Jalan Damai, at about 8.30pm on May 6, reported Lianhe Wanbao.
Mr Hong, 50, who has lived at the block for 20 years, said he that he along with his 50-yr-old wife, 19-yr-old daughter and 18-year-old son were returning home at the time of the incident, and boarded the lift at Lobby B.
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Spate of Escalator accidents
13 escalator incidents due to technical faults since Nov 2016
Since the mandatory reporting of escalator incidents started on Nov 1 last year, there have been 13 incidents due to technical faults, revealed Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong on Mon (Oct 2).
In a written reply to a Parliamentary question from Non-Constituency MP Daniel Goh, Mr Wong said that these 13 incidents were not due to user behaviour.
He added that as the tightened maintenance regime was only put in place in Nov, the Ministry of National Development (MND) is still monitoring its effects.
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HDB Lift ceiling collapsed upon 10-yr-old girl
4 people hurt after part of RWS casino ceiling falls
3 renovation workers and a security officer were injured after part of a ceiling board at the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) casino collapsed yesterday.
External contractors were carrying out enhancement works when part of the ceiling board leading to the mezzanine gaming area fell around 10am, a spokesman for RWS told The Straits Times.
"There were no guests at that area during the incident. One security staff and three external contractors sustained minor injuries," the spokesman added.
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Spate of Mishaps at Crown Jewel
It seems that visitors to Jewel Changi Airport are also treated to leaking ceilings and flooded floors, less than three days after the new complex opened for previews.
Two videos of leaks spotted online .In a video published on April 13, water can be seen pouring from the ceiling of a corridor in Jewel Changi Airport.
In another video, up to four staff can be seen trying to sweep away water from a flooded area in the Changi Airport Terminal 1 Arrival Hall which is cordoned off.
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Why is everything breaking down in Singapore?
A foodcourt run by Koufu was shut for almost 3 hours on Sunday morning (Oct 7), after a burst pipe soaked parts of the basement foodcourt in water & caused a section of the premises' false ceiling to collapse.
In response to queries, Koufu group chief operating officer Choo Teck Chuan told The Straits Times that business at the Gourmet Paradise outlet in Toa Payoh HDB Hub was temporarily disrupted between 8.55am & 11.30am.
"Upon investigation, we found that the joint of the water pipe gave way. This has since been rectified and it was business as usual by noon," Mr Choo said.
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Jinx @ JEM
Patrons in a restaurant at Jem shopping mall were drenched after a water pipe in the ceiling burst, releasing a torrent of black-coloured water.
The incident occurred at around 8.45pm yesterday, Jun 4.
A woman, Sandra, who was dining at the restaurant sent photos and an account of the incident to citizen journalism website Stomp.
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Massive blackout across Singapore
The affected areas are mainly at the northern and eastern side of the Island city
Electricity supply to parts of Singapore was disrupted early this morning, affecting some 146,797 residential and commercial customers, according to SP Power.
The power utilities firm said the supply, which was disrupted at 1.18 am, was fully restored within 38 minutes.
SP Power said the areas affected were Boon Lay, Choa Chu Kang, Clementi, Jurong, Pandan Loop, Aljunied, Geylang, Tanjong Rhu, Mountbatten, Kembangan, Bedok, East Coast, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Thomson, Mandai, Admiralty, Sembawang and Woodlands.
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Massive power outage in central Singapore, netizens prophesize end of the world
A massive power outage hit the central parts of Singapore earlier this afternoon. The affected areas included Chinatown Point, Hong Lim Complex, and some buildings at the Central Business District (CBD) such as OUE Downtown Gallery, The Arcade and Clifford Centre.
According to a Facebook post by SP Group, “An estimated 3,156 customers were affected”. They added that, “Electricity supply to parts of Raffles Quay, Robinson Road and Shenton Way was disrupted at about 2.41pm today”.
Others spoke about the huge crack along Adam road along with the blackout and prophesized about the end of the world.
CBD hit by massive blackout on Friday afternoon
People at a food stall at The Arcade in Raffles Place during a massive blackout on the afternoon of June 1, 2018. ST FOTO: JAMIE KOH
Thousands of offices & businesses in the Central Business District and surrounding areas were affected by a sudden, major power outage on Friday afternoon (June 1).
SP Group said in a statement that 3,156 customers in parts of Raffles Quay, Robinson Road & Shenton Way were hit by a disruption to electricity supply at about 2.40pm.
"Our officers were immediately deployed to the affected areas & our priority was to restore supply as safely and quickly as possible," the statement said.
CBD plunges into darkness due to half-hour power outage, S’pore Power investigating
A power outage happened at about 2.41 pm on June 1, causing a blackout at parts of the central business district (CBD), Tanjong Pagar and Chinatown, including HDB blocks in Sago Lane and Kreta Ayer Road, and the hawker center Lau Pa Sat.
Officer workers found their work places plunged into darkness, save for the screens of their laptops and phones, and some were even reportedly stuck in lifts as the power went out.
Traffic lights also stopped working during the outage.
Widespread blackout lasting more than 30 minutes hits Singapore's CBD
The Arcade was among the buildings affected by a widespread blackout in Singapore’s CBD on Friday, 1 June 2018. PHOTO: HardwareZone
A blackout that hit commercial buildings in Singapore’s Central Business District (CBD) saw the lights and air-conditioning go out for up to 34 minutes on Friday (1 June), amid reports of people trapped in lifts and malfunctioned traffic lights.
Singapore Power said in a statement that electricity supply to parts of Raffles Quay, Robinson Road and Shenton Way was disrupted at about 2.41 pm, with an estimated 3,156 customers affected. According to eyewitnesses, the buildings affected included Chinatown Point, 18 Cross Street, Robinson Point, the Arcade, Chevron House, MYP Centre and 18 Cross Street.
Electricity supply was fully restored within 34 minutes by 3.15 pm, said Singapore Power, adding that it is investigating the cause of the disruption.
Cracks across at least two lanes on Adam Road caused a massive traffic jam
The Straits Times understands that the cracks, which appeared near the ongoing construction site of the Bukit Brown road, were caused by an unexplained subterranean heaving of the earth. The Land Transport Authority (LTA), in updates on Twitter, had advised motorists to avoid the affected stretch.
In a statement, LTA said the it discovered the cracks at 8:00am along a stretch of Adam Road after the MacRitchie Flyover. "Two out of four lanes were immediately closed to facilitate repairs," a spokesman said, adding that all lanes were re-opened at about 10:00am, 'after we ascertained that the road is safe for use'. The widespread congestion however, was still apparent well past 10:30am.
The LTA said it was investigating the cause of the incident. A civil engineer who declined to be named said the cracks were likely to have been caused by soil movements below the road related to nearby construction works. He said the rain might have contributed to the 'loss of ground... by draining away soil, thereby weakening the site'.
Major crack across Adam Road causes massive morning traffic jam
On top of wet roads this rainy morning, motorists had to slowly navigate a traffic jam due to a large crack that appeared on Adam Road, which seemed to have caused part of the asphalt to sink.
The crack stretched across two lanes on Adam Road right before the entrance to the Pan-Island Expressway. According to motorists who were caught in the jam earlier today, traffic stood almost to a standstill, with some reporting being stuck for nearly two hours. The jam went all the way to Mount Vernon Road, according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
According to The Straits Times, the crack near the construction site was caused by an unexplained subterranean heaving of the earth. Which sounds like an early Kaiju warning we should be worried about.
Rainwater seepage caused cracks on Adam Road, contractor will take preventive measures: LTA
An LTA spokesperson said that at around 8am, the agency discovered cracks along a stretch of Adam Road towards Queensway after the MacRitchie Flyover
The cracks across 2 lanes of Adam Road that caused a traffic snarl on Friday morning (June 1) were caused by rainwater that had seeped under the road, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The cracks were not caused by nearby constructions works & do not pose any structural risks, it said.
The rainwater caused pressure under the base of the road to build up & a temporary section of the road to “heave”, resulting in the cracks, said the LTA on Friday evening as it announced the completion of its investigations.
Crack on Adam Road causes 'massive' traffic jams on 1st June 2018
A large crack on Adam Road caused a "massive" traffic jam in the area, as well as along Lornie Road on Friday morning (Jun 1).
The road was partially closed for about two hours while it was being repaired.
Collapsed false ceiling leaves Toa Payoh residents worried
Lack of action over disintegrating false ceiling irks residents of Toa Payoh block
For more than a year, residents at Block 9, Toa Payoh Lorong 7, said they have been seeing pieces of the false ceiling at the top floor falling onto the common corridor.
On March 18, after a heavy afternoon downpour, it took a turn for the worse when a chunk of the false ceiling & part of the facade fell 11 storeys down, leaving a gaping hole about 4m wide.
Fortunately no one was hurt.
4 people hurt after part of RWS casino ceiling falls
Workers clearing up debris from the incident, in which 3 renovation workers and a security officer were injured. TNP PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
3 renovation workers and a security officer were injured after part of a ceiling board at the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) casino collapsed yesterday.
External contractors were carrying out enhancement works when part of the ceiling board leading to the mezzanine gaming area fell around 10am, a spokesman for RWS told The Straits Times.
"There were no guests at that area during the incident. One security staff and three external contractors sustained minor injuries," the spokesman added.
'No sound, no warning, and it fell'
When residents of Block 638 in Tampines looked outside their windows on the morning of July 14, they saw a scene of devastation.
A 40m section of a viaduct on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) had collapsed, leaving a tangled mess of bars & broken concrete in a construction site adjacent to a slip road in Upper Changi Road East.
The collapse occurred in the early hours of the morning, killing Chinese national Chen Yinchuan, 31, & injuring 10 other workers who had been laying cement on the structure. It was described as one of the worst worksite accidents after the Nicoll Highway tunnel collapse in 2004 that killed 4 people.
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Ceiling collapses at SMU's School of Information Systems
Parts of a ceiling falling to the ground outside a toilet in Singapore Management University's School of Information Systems on Tue (Oct 24)
A ceiling at the basement of Singapore Management University's (SMU) School of Information Systems collapsed on Tuesday (Oct 24).
The false ceiling at the recess area collapsed at 5pm, the university has confirmed.
In response to Channel NewsAsia's queries, an SMU spokesperson said preliminary findings showed that a drainage pipe above the ceiling had leaked & water had seeped through, causing the false ceiling to collapse. Some of the water entered a portion of the study area located next to the affected space, she said.
Ceiling collapses in NTU lecture theatre
The ceiling of Lecture Theatre 1, at Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) North Spine, had collapsed earlier that morning.
NTU sent an e-mail to affected students to inform them of the collapse and the change of venues for some of their lectures. No classes will be held there for at least a month.
Mr Adzizul, who is a final-year mechanical engineering student, told The New Paper that his classmates were in the theatre, sitting closer to the front. As he had not attended the lecture, he was viewing a recording that was posted online after the lecture ended.
Why is everything breaking down in Singapore?
WHAT in the world is happening to my country? Not a week passes without something that busts, bursts, cracks or crashes. And that’s just using the first few words I could find in the Thesaurus to go with “break”. I have the not-altogether-incorrect impression that Singapore is breaking down, breaking up and breaking apart at the seams. The litany of woes is not about to take a break any time soon. Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.
Again, I ask: What in the world is happening to my country? I have a theory. You may not agree with me but, if you indulge an old man his thoughts, hear me out. It has to do with a fishball stick. Not just any ordinary fishball stick but one with an extraordinary historical significance because it was mentioned by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his National Day Rally in 2014.
It was a fishball stick carelessly thrown on the pavement near Bukit Gombak MRT which a resident had complained about. It was a fishball stick that wasn’t cleared by anyone for a couple of days. It was a fishball stick that had set off meetings between several government agencies as to whose responsibility it was. If you want a metaphor of what’s wrong with this country, that’s it.
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Case of a Fishball Stick
When 1 resident observed that a fishball stick along the walkway at Bukit Gombak MRT Station had not been cleared after 2 days, it took Member of Parliament (MP) Low Yen Ling “multiple calls to several agencies & a few meetings” to find out why the area appeared not to be regularly cleaned.
The reason? “On the left of the walkway is a slope, (which is overseen by) the NEA (National Environment Agency); in the middle is a park connector, under NParks (National Parks Board); on the right is a pavement next to the road, under the LTA (Land Transport Authority),” said PM Lee Hsien Loong. As the cleaners engaged by each of these agencies have different cleaning schedules, “the fishball stick was on the roadside, and the roadside is only cleared every two days”, he said.
The incident was an example of how the Government still has some way to go in getting different agencies to work more closely together, especially when responsibilities are split, despite previous efforts to address this, said Mr Lee at the National Day Rally last night. For example, the question of what to do with a snake spotted on the street used to depend on the direction in which it was moving, but all animal-related issues are now handled by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).
Lift breakdown statistics based on annual data
In “Lift breakdowns: Specific answers would be more reassuring” (Jul 26), Mr Cheang Peng Wah had asked why the Ministry of National Development (MND) had provided lift breakdown statistics over the two-year periods of 2013/4 & 2015/6. The breakdown statistics are, in fact, based on annual data, but it happens that the figures were similar over the two-year periods.
In 2013, there were about 30 reported breakdowns in public housing estates out of every 1,000 lifts per month. It was a similar figure in 2014. In 2015, the reported breakdowns per month numbered about 20, and this continued at the same level last year.
Mr Cheang also asked whether there have been more incidents of breakdowns causing injuries and fatalities in recent years.
10-yr-old girl is latest victim of lift accidents in HDB buildings
Despite tightening lift maintenance standards, 10-year-old Chung Yan Ting has become the latest victim of faulty HDB lifts when part of the ceiling light on the lift fell on her as she entered the compartment.
This is the most recent serious lift accident in the past few years, following the incident of a woman whose spine was fractured after she was jerked up and down suddenly while she was in a lift last year, and after the death of an elderly man in May last year who succumbed to injuries from a fall that occurred when he reversed his mobility scooter out of a lift that had stopped 15cm above the ground.
This time, Yan Ting was with her family at Block 325A Sengkang East Way when her mother first entered the defective lift. As Yan Ting followed behind her mother, her father noticed a long metal rod on the lift’s floor. Before he could look around to investigate further, half of the metal and plastic light cover dislodged from the lift’s ceiling and struck Yan Ting.
More cases of fallen windows this year
There were more cases of fallen windows this year according to statistics released yesterday by the Building & Construction Authority (BCA) & the Housing and Development Board (HDB).
There were 41 cases in the first 11 months of this year, compared to 30 cases in the same period last year. Most of these were casement windows that became dislodged and had fallen due to corroded aluminium rivets, said the BCA & the HDB
Since 2005, homeowners have been required to change the aluminium rivets of casement windows to stainless steel ones. This applies to windows in all residential units, except those in landed properties and the ground floor of buildings.
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Town councils to take action after parts fall off Circuit Rd, Hougang blocks
Investigations into 2 recent instances in which parts of the facades of public housing blocks fell off have been completed, said the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on Sunday (Dec 11).
The town councils in charge of the blocks are taking measures to prevent the incidents from recurring, said a BCA spokesperson in a media statement
In the 1st incident, a cladding panel made of calcium silicate fell off Block 51, Circuit Road on Oct 19. The panel was a design element of the facade and was non-structural, said the Housing & Development Board in a Facebook post the day after the incident, adding that it was liaising with Marine Parade Town Council to repair the facade and check neighbouring blocks with similar finishes on their facades
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Plaster falls 12 storeys from HDB block in Hougang
In the latest case of building parts falling from Housing Board buildings, a slab of plaster fell 12 storeys from the top of a block in Hougang on Sunday (Nov 27) morning.
No one was injured, but plaster fragments were seen atop some vehicles parked nearby.
Resident Andy Loh, 39, heard a loud noise on Sunday. "I went down to check and saw all the (plaster) scattered on the floor," he told The Straits Times.
Boon Lay resident hurt when HDB lift falls and rises unexpectedly
A 65-YR-OLD Boon Lay resident hurt her leg on Nov 15 when the lift in her Boon Lay Housing Board block plunged unexpectedly from the 3d floor to the ground floor, then rose again to the 2nd floor, Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao reported.
The lift - at Block 207, Boon Lay Place - is currently closed. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said, on Friday, it was alerted to an incident.
BCA engineers, representatives from the West Coast Town Council and the lift contractor visited the site to investigate.
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Woman suffers spine fracture in 5th lift accident in 8 months
For the 5th time in 8 months, a lift of a Housing and Development Board block had malfunctioned, causing a woman to suffer a spine fracture after the lift she was in shot up and down erratically twice.
Madam Yeo Choon Tee, 59, said she was heading to pick up her granddaughter at about noon on Tue (Jun 7) when the lift’s doors at Block 150, Petir Road did not open at the ground floor. Instead, it shot up “faster than normal” to the 11th floor.
It then sped to the 3d floor and zoomed up again before coming to an abrupt stop between the 12th and 13th floors, throwing her to the floor.
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3-year-old boy traumatised after huge metal piece falls on him in lift of Block 480, Pasir Ris Drive 4
How would you feel if part of the lift's ceiling fell on you while you were in it? And imagine this happening to you when you're a little three-year-old kid.
On Thursday (Nov 10) at around 10pm, the interior of a lift ceiling at Block 480, Pasir Ris Drive 4, fell on Stomper Yuzkoz's three-year-old nephew while he was in the lift with the Stomper's father and brother.
Said the Stomper: "My family had taken the lift at first but this didn't happen. But during the next ride when my nephew boarded it, the incident took place.
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Roof of lift at Pasir Ris collapses on 3-year-old boy injuring him
STOMP reported that a 3-year-old boy was injured when the roof of a lift at Block 480 Pasir Ris Drive 4 collapsed while he was taking the lift with his parents. The incident happened on Nov 10 at around 10pm.
According to the uncle of the boy who reported the incident, the metal panel of the roof fell on one side first, before fully collapsing. This was when it hit the boy on the head, traumatising him. The boy was treated for a minor injury at a clinic. Pasir-Ris Punggol Town Council (PRPTC) has not commented on this incident.
This incident is one of several lift mishaps which happened in Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council in recent months. In January, Facebook user Ben Tng reported that the lift in his block was operating while the its door was only half closed.
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NOT ONLY ARE THE MRTS BREAKING DOWN, EVEN BUS INTERCHANGES BLACKOUT!
While everyone is busy getting angry over SMRT's MRT disruption, the blackout at the various bus interchanges (Toa Payoh, Jurong East and Bedok) throughout the year have received little attention.
Can you imagine how chaotic it would be if one day, the train disruption and blackout happen at the same station?
What is happening to our world class transportation system?
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A pretty huge sinkhole opened up on the road along Yishun Avenue 7
Motorists travelling along Yishun Avenue 7, be more wary than usual while driving in the 'Murderer and Siao Lang' neighbourhood 'cause there's a pretty big sinkhole that opened up.
Don't worry, it's not a big enough abyss to swallow your hopes and dreams. But still, it could damage vehicles and seriously hurt unaware motorcyclists.
Keep off that third lane when you're driving towards Gambas along Yishun Avenue 7.
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Sinkhole to swallow motorcyclists opens up along Yishun Ave 7: Yishun Thug Life
Just another day in Yishun.
A sinkhole or pothole that looked like it could easily swallow a motorcycle front wheel, opened up on the road along Yishun Ave 7 towards Gambas Ave on Oct. 26, once again highlighting Yishun town’s prominence.
It is not known if this hole qualifies as a sinkhole or pothole, but it looks like there is very little functional difference in definition.
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False ceiling at Tampines void deck collapses
Imagine if someone had been entering or exiting lift
Stomper KaliDass was shocked when he saw that the false ceiling at the void deck of Block 807 Tampines Avenue 4 had collapsed, at around 1pm today afternoon (Oct 17).
Photos he sent Stomp via WhatsApp show a light dangling from the exposed ceiling and chunks of cement plaster on the ground.
KaliDass, who said he heard a loud bang when the incident happened, added in a phone interview: "The false ceiling in front of Lift A at the ground level of Block 807 Tampines Avenue 4 collapsed.
Customers at Bukit Merah coffeeshop startled by falling ceiling boards
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FALSE CEILING OF LIFT LANDING COLLAPSED IN TAMPINES
The false ceiling at the void deck of Block 807 Tampines Avenue 4 collapsed at around 1pm today afternoon (Oct 17). Fortunately, the ceiling did not land on anyone.
What remains of the fake ceiling is a light dangling from the now exposed ceiling. Chunks of cement plaster are on the ground.
First sun breaker, now fake ceiling. Tampines is turning into a slum!
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Section of Westgate mall ceiling collapses due to heavy rain
Heavy rain yesterday proved too much for the false ceiling at Westgate mall and caused a small section to shatter.
Shin Min Daily News reported that the incident happened around 3.30pm at the fourth floor of the shopping mall and left a 1m hole in the ceiling.
A 26-year-old shopkeeper told Shin Min Daily News that three or four men were almost hit by the ceiling fragments.
related: Shoppers report flooding in Tampines Mall after heavy downpour
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HDB FACADE IN CIRCUIT ROAD FALLS OFF
She heard the loud crash, peered out her window and saw, to her horror, that a piece of her neighbouring block's building facade had fallen and crashed to the ground below.
"I was shocked to see a missing slab of wall on the block opposite. Luckily, it happened quite early in the morning and no one was hit.
"How can a slab of wall fall off just like that?" the resident, who wanted to be known as Madam Ng, 65, told The New Paper yesterday.
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Non-structural wall feature falls off roof of HDB block in MacPherson
A wall segment from a Housing Board block in MacPherson fell 11 storeys with a loud crash in the early hours of Wednesday.
The incident occurred at about 6am at Block 51, Circuit Road, Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday.
No one was hurt by the slab, which the newspaper understands measured roughly 4m long and 2m wide.
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Elderly woman hurt in HillV2 shopping mall restaurant after cladding falls on her
An elderly woman suffered head injuries on Monday (Oct 31) evening after cladding fell on her in Wine Connection Bistro restaurant in HillV2 shopping mall.
The woman was believed to have been having dinner at the restaurant located in Upper Bukit Timah when the incident occurred.
The incident was reported in Chinese newspaper Lianhe Wanbao after retiree Han Chin Kwang, 62, called it in.
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CEILING COLLAPSED ON DINER AT WINE CONNECTION AT HILLV2
It was reported that a diner was having her meal at Wine Connection Bistro at HillV2 when the ceiling gave way and collapsed on her.
This happened yesterday (Oct 31) at 6+ in the evening. The lady was dining with her children when the ceiling hit her on her head. She was bleeding profusely. Paramedics bandaged her wound and she was conveyed to Ng Teng Fong Hospital.
Customers were shocked. HillV2 is a relatively new shopping mall. How could the ceiling collapse?
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Downtown Line disrupted on Tuesday morning due to platform screen door fault
The broken platform screen door at Sixth Avenue station on the Downtown Line.ST FOTO: JOYCE FANG
Service on the Downtown Line was disrupted on Tue (Oct 4) morning due to a platform screen door fault which occurred at the Sixth Avenue station.
A picture tweeted by a commuter showed a dislodged platform door with cracked glass.
Train service was halted between the Sixth Avenue & King Albert Park stations & free bus service was provided by SBS between the Botanic Gardens & Beauty World stations.
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Stompers share photos of dislodged platform screen door that caused large crowds and delays on Downtown Line
A faulty platform screen door at Sixth Avenue MRT Station caused service disruption on the Downtown Line during today's morning rush hour (Oct 4).
The incident caused train service between the Sixth Avenue & King Albert Park stations to be halted.
Stompers Eric, Alex, Gabriel, Mei Chi, Jeffrey, Paul, Gavin, Marianne, Rashi and Kelly had shared with Stomp photos showing the dislodged door - with its glass cracked - as well as large crowds that were caught in the delay.
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LRT sped past 3 stations non-stop with passengers at Bukit Panjang LRT line
A passenger recalls the harrowing experience of how a Light-Rail Train at the Bukit Panjang LRT line sped past three stations on Thu (28 July) and could not be stopped by the emergency stop button found in the cabin.
Ms Jacqueline Bong was with her friend when they took the train at Segar Station at about 11.45 pm -12 pm and supposed to alight at Jelapang station to pick up their kids from kindergarten.
However, the train did not stop at the next station but instead, sped up and went past Jelapang station.
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Woman recounts harrowing experience aboard ‘really fast’ LRT which did not stop for three stations
A lady by the name of Jacqueline Bong posted a complaint to SMRT’s Facebook page on Jul 28 recounting her experience aboard a Bukit Panjang LRT train.
She said that she boarded at Segar station and was supposed to alight at Jelapang station which was one stop away, but the train did not stop and no one responded after a passenger used emergency phone onboard. The train only stopped three stations away at Phoenix station.
SMRT has since responded on Facebook to her posting, here’s what they said on the same day of the posting:
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Recent major breakdowns on Bukit Panjang LRT
The Bukit Panjang LRT has been problematic from the time it started running in 1999. And it still remains so.
Last year, it had 10 major breakdowns (those that last more than half an hour). In comparison, the Sengkang-Punggol LRT had 5 such breakdowns in the same period.
The North-South & East-West MRT lines, which are much longer and operate at a much higher frequency & load, had 7 in total.
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Yet another train delay due to track fault on Circle Line, the 3rd time in 3 days
Commuters travelling on the Circle Line were held up today due to a track fault this morning (Aug 31), in what is the 3rd related incident this week.
Stomper Eric was at Bishan MRT Station at 8.30am and recounted what he saw to Stomp:
"Staff closed off the escalators and stairs to direct passengers on a longer route to the platform.
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'Wayward' buses end up at 'Odd' places
A public bus has ended up in an unlikely place - the 2nd time this has happened in 2 days.
An SBS Transit bus was found in a tennis court next to Yio Chu Kang MRT station on Friday (Sep 30) evening. The bus, believed to be service 13, appeared to have crashed through a fence.
It hit a lamp post, and there were shards of glass all over the tennis court. No one was playing at the court when the incident happened.
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Fallen tree at Holland Close caused damage to gas pipes, affecting more than 100 households
A tree around 30 meters high, fell at Block 1, Holland Close due to heavy rain and strong winds early Monday (3 October) morning causing damage to gas pipes which affected more than 100 households.
A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman said it was alerted to the incident at 5.41am and soon deployed a fire engine, a red rhino and an ambulance to the scene. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. He also said that SCDF shut off the mains to the gas pipes for safety reason.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the fallen tree damaged gas pipes and affected the supply to more than 100 households living in a block of flats and the windows' of five flats in the block were shattered by the tree's falling branches.
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Heritage tree falls on 40-year-old Pearl Bank Apartments, branches smash windows
The heritage Purple Millettia tree crashed into Pearl Bank Apartments in Outram in the early hours of Sep 11. At least five units were damaged. FOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS
A heritage tree more than 8 storeys tall fell on Pearl Bank Apartments in Chinatown on Sunday (Sep 11) morning.
At least 6 apartments from the 4th to 8th floors were affected, Lianhe Wanbao reported.
Residents said that the loud crash as the tree's branches smashed their windows woke them up early on Sunday morning.
related: Tree that fell into apartments flagged as risk
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CUSTOMERS AT BUKIT MERAH COFFEE SHOP STARTLED BY FALLING CEILING BOARDS
CRASH: Ceiling boards fell at lunch time at a Bukit Merah coffee shop yesterday, leaving debris (above) that was later cleared.PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS
He was collecting money from a customer at his drinks stall when he heard a loud crash.
When Mr Zhang realised what had caused the sudden sound, he was shocked. Several ceiling boards in the coffee shop had fallen onto the floor and smashed into pieces.
"It was a very loud bang. There was a lady walking past and it nearly hit her," the drinks stall operator told The New Paper yesterday.
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HDB buildings no longer safe
The common cause of all these preventable incidents has been confirmed: PAP has been employing cheaperer labour and using lowest-cost materials to increase profitability.
After this incident, the BCA, HDB and Marine Parade Town Council sprang into …. wayang. And soon, the issue will be swept under the carpet. The party accountable for the honest mistake will not be disclosed. MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling has said that she is hoping that the authorities will consider revamping these few blocks in the near future – standard PAP fire-fighting protocol.
As our infrastructure ages, we should expect more PAP-created issues to surface. How not to when they have been focused on milking citizens and taking economic shortcuts without accountability?
read more
HDB BUILDINGS NO LONGER SAFE? CHEAP LABOUR & LOW COST MATERIALS TO BLAME?
HDB buildings appear to be no longer safe. According to Shin Min Daily News, “a slab of the roof-wall” fell from Block 51 in MacPherson Road 2 days ago.
The size of the calcium silicate board which measured about “4 metres by 2 metres” – slightly larger than 2 king size mattresses – could have caused a number of fatalities. Again, lady luck was smiling at us.
Just last month a concrete sun breaker weighing a few hundred kilos was dislodged from another HDB block in Tampines and last year, a smaller slab of concrete fell from this block (below) in Whampoa.
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Concrete feature collapses at HDB block in Tampines; building structurally safe, says HDB
A concrete feature on the exterior of a Housing & Development Board (HDB) block collapsed on Sunday (Sep 25) morning, but the authorities say no injuries were reported.
The incident occurred on the 4th floor of Block 201E, Tampines Street 23, around 10:05am.
No Singapore Civil Defence Force vehicles were dispatched, The Straits Times understands. Police arrived on the scene to cordon off the area.
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HDB & TOWN COUNCIL TO INSPECT ALL SUN BREAKERS AFTER ONE BROKE IN TAMPINES
Received a call this morning and rushed over.
One side of the sun breaker broke and landed on 3rd storey breaker. We have secured the breaker with tension cords to anchor points on the rooftop, activated the crane and the engineer is doing a thorough inspection now.
We will be removing this and HDB and TC will be working together to inspect the rest of the sun breakers after this, to ensure their integrity and safety.
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Concrete facade nearly toppled on four storey Tampine HDB block, no one hurt
A concrete facade at a four-storey HDB block along Tampines Street 23 was unseated and fortunately did not drop down from the top floor. No one was hurt in the incident that happened on Sunday morning, 25 September.
The collapsed structure functions as a sun shield for a unit on the fourth floor of Block 201E.
CNA reported the owner of the HDB building block, the Tampines Town Council, has been directed by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to engage a professional engineer to advise on the necessary procedure to remove the relocated sun breaker, and to conduct an investigation and recommendation of permanently rebuilt works.
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Tampines residents worry about more sunshades collapsing
RESIDENTS of the Tampines flat where a concrete sunshade partially dislodged late last week are worried that the other sunshades might give way too, given that the area is a neighbourhood centre with a thronging thoroughfare on the ground floor.
On Sunday morning (Sept 25), a 5m-long concrete sunshade outside a fourth-floor flat at Block 201E, Tampines Street 23 dislodged partially and landed on the corner of the sunshade of the floor below.
Although no one was hurt, it gave residents quite the scare, and now residents are afraid that other sunshades – at least seven on the same facade – might follow suit.
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Plaster slab falls from 18th storey of HDB block
The broken bits from the slab of plaster that fell off the facade of Block 464, Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 (above), early on Sun morning were found on the ground.FOTOS: LIM YAOHUI FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
A slab of plaster fell off the facade of an HDB block on Sunday, from a height of 18 storeys.
Residents of Block 464, Choa Chu Kang Ave 4, said it was fortunate no one was hurt, as the walkway below is a popular one.
The piece of plaster, which broke on impact, was about 1.5m by 0.6m, or the size of a large bath towel. The area has been cordoned off by the Chua Chu Kang Town Council.
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Debris Danger! 16th Storey HDB Flat Wall Breaks Apart, Residents Alarmed and Worried
“What the hell” and “KNN” probably rolled off the tongues of some Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 residents yesterday morning, as they found broken-off concrete blocks littering the pathways near block 464.
Looking up, they discovered that the blocks were part of the building wall which broke off from the 16th floor! The big break likely took place in the wee hours of morning.
According to one resident, he had sent his daughter home at around 2am and didn’t find any debris on the ground, but to his horror, the concrete blocks were there at 7am when he went downstairs.
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Second concrete chunk falls off ceiling of HDB block this week-- this time at Hougang
STOMPer David was shocked to see a large chunk of plaster that fell from the 9th floor ceiling of a HDB block at Hougang Avenue. He hopes the relevant authorities can look into maintaining the building and the ones in the older estates.
This is the second of such incidents reported this week, with the first taking place at Choa Chu Kang on Sunday (Nov 11). Said STOMPer David:
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Blocked drain caused condo glass panels to shatter
Glass panels in front of a 5-storey infinity pool at the Cradels condominium in Balestier came crashing down last month, sending water raining to the ground. The BCA investigation found that water pressure had built up as a result of overflowing water from the pool, causing the glass panels to give way.ST FTO: RACHEL OH
A blocked drain caused glass panels around a condominium's 5-floor swimming pool to shatter, sending broken glass and water cascading onto a carpark below, an investigation has found.
The Building & Construction Authority (BCA) found that overflowing water from the outdoor infinity pool at the Cradels condo in Balestier was caught in the narrow drain between the pool wall and the glass wall, causing water pressure to build up and the glass panels to eventually give way.
No one was hurt during the Jul 8 incident.
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Lorry crashes into walkway shelter at Bukit Batok, causing it to collapse on car
A walkway shelter at an open-air carpark in Bukit Batok collapsed on Fri (Jun 17) morning, crushing a car & drawing curious onlookers.
The Straits Times understands that a lorry with an attached crane had crashed into the shelter, which linked Blocks 116 and 118 at Bukit Batok West Ave 6.
The lorry driver, a man in his 60s, was arrested, a police spokesman said in response to media queries. No other vehicles were involved in the accident and there were no injuries.
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Crane crashes into pedestrian shelter at Bt Batok, causing it to tumble
In a statement on Friday (Jun 17), the Jurong-Clementi Town Council confirmed that no one was injured in the incident.
"Our initial findings revealed that the lorry driver failed to lower the crane before driving through the linkway," the town council said.
It added that it would assist the affected car's owner in his compensation claims.
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Another crane crashes into sheltered walkway in Bukit Batok
Facebook user Lawrence Chong shared the pictures of a crane boom of a lorry crashing into a shelter linkway located between Block 504 and 506 of Bukit Batok East Street 52. The pictures shared by the user showed that there was significant damage to the structure. The incident happened today at about 2.50pm.
The incident is strangely similar to another accident which also happened in Bukit Batok a month ago, on 17 Jun. A sheltered walkway at Block 116 Bukit Batok West Avenue 6 collapsed after the crane boom of a lorry crashed into it.
The user’s pictures showed that the officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Police were at the site of the accident.
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Woman escapes injury after escalator step suddenly breaks apart at The Arcade at Raffles Place
A woman narrowly escaped injury after an escalator in The Arcade at Raffles Place broke on Tues, Jan 5, 2016 FOTO: LIANHE WANBAO
A woman escaped injury after a step on the escalator she was riding on at The Arcade in Raffles Place broke.
An eyewitness, named only as Mrs Liu, told Chinese evening newspapers that she heard a loud bang coming from the escalator, which runs from the 1st to the 2nd floor, at about 3.30pm on Tue (Jan 5).
2 people were riding on it - a man who had just reached the landing on the 2nd floor, and a woman who was about 3 steps behind, Lianhe Wanbao reported.
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Escalator at The Arcade Breaks Apart, Aunties Get the Scare of Their Lives!
With the recent gory news of how freak escalator accidents in China have killed or injured people, you’d forgive two aunties for screaming their lungs out at The Arcade when the escalator they were riding on “exploded”.
With a loud “bang”, one of the steps of the escalator step suddenly splintered and broke off from the rest of the tiles.
That caused a gap to form in which a person could possibly fall through and get crushed to death by the escalator mechanism.
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Sinkholes in Singapore: Five other cases in the past and what caused them
A section of Upper Changi Road East caved in on Thursday morning causing a tipper truck to collapse into the road. The accident happened about 50m away from a construction site for the upcoming Downtown Line 3. We look at some recent cases of sinkholes which had appeared in different parts of Singapore, and what could have caused the cave-ins.
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A 'Sign of Distress' in Singapore?
Another photo of upside down Singapore flags has been circulating online in the run-up to National Day 2017. This time, an entire row of flags are hoisted upside down outside Aqua-Nautics Pte Ltd in Sembawang.
The blunder comes two weeks after a photo showing foreign workers planting an upside down flag went viral. The workers were likely employed by the Executive Committee organising the National Day Parade this year.
The display of the Singapore Flag is subject to about 40 rules, according to Singapore Statutes. Rules state that the Singapore flag must only be displayed upside down only as a sign of distress. Since it is a reflection of the nation’s ideals, beliefs and values, it is to be be treated with dignity and honour at all times.
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Rise in major breakdowns but MRT gets more reliable - LTA
There were 14 major breakdowns on the MRT network last year - an increase of 40% from the previous year, the Land Transport Authority announced on its website yesterday.
Meanwhile, the number of such breakdowns, each lasting more than 30 minutes, on the LRT system nearly quadrupled to 15.
For the MRT, only the newest line - the Downtown Line - posted a drop in the number of major disruptions. All others saw an increase, with the oldest --- North-South and East-West lines --- accounting for half the total of 14.
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Even PRCs file complaints against their own locally made lifts
EM Services responsible for maintaining lift involved in spine-injury incident
Even PRCs complain against Shenyang Brilliant Elevators
Shenyang Brilliant Elevator
A witty video featuring an elderly man pointing out Singapore's building defects has emerged on YouTube.
In the clip, the man adapts the lyrics of popular children's nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down" to emphasise the point of Singapore's "crumbling buildings".
At the start of the video, the man is seen standing outside Jem, which made headlines in 2013 when a leaking water pipe caused the mall's ceiling to collapse, injuring 3.
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Roof collapses at Hilton Hotel driveway proves Orchard Road is breaking down
On Saturday, Dec. 12, a power outage — believed to have been caused by the flood the previous day — hit Orchard Central at 2pm, forcing some shops to close early for the day. Power was restored at some parts of the shopping mall later in the day, but some retailers were forced to close early.
On Sunday, Dec. 13, part of the roof over the driveway of Hilton Singapore hotel collapsed, proving Volvo manufactures sturdy vehicles, in what has become a positive piece of news for the automobile maker and a more negative one for insurers.
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Jinx @ JEM
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FALSE CEILING OF LIFT LANDING COLLAPSED IN TAMPINES
The false ceiling at the void deck of Block 807 Tampines Avenue 4 collapsed at around 1pm today afternoon (Oct 17). Fortunately, the ceiling did not land on anyone.
What remains of the fake ceiling is a light dangling from the now exposed ceiling. Chunks of cement plaster are on the ground.
First sun breaker, now fake ceiling. Tampines is turning into a slum!
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Section of Westgate mall ceiling collapses due to heavy rain
Heavy rain yesterday proved too much for the false ceiling at Westgate mall and caused a small section to shatter.
Shin Min Daily News reported that the incident happened around 3.30pm at the fourth floor of the shopping mall and left a 1m hole in the ceiling.
A 26-year-old shopkeeper told Shin Min Daily News that three or four men were almost hit by the ceiling fragments.
related: Shoppers report flooding in Tampines Mall after heavy downpour
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HDB FACADE IN CIRCUIT ROAD FALLS OFF
She heard the loud crash, peered out her window and saw, to her horror, that a piece of her neighbouring block's building facade had fallen and crashed to the ground below.
"I was shocked to see a missing slab of wall on the block opposite. Luckily, it happened quite early in the morning and no one was hit.
"How can a slab of wall fall off just like that?" the resident, who wanted to be known as Madam Ng, 65, told The New Paper yesterday.
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Non-structural wall feature falls off roof of HDB block in MacPherson
A wall segment from a Housing Board block in MacPherson fell 11 storeys with a loud crash in the early hours of Wednesday.
The incident occurred at about 6am at Block 51, Circuit Road, Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday.
No one was hurt by the slab, which the newspaper understands measured roughly 4m long and 2m wide.
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Elderly woman hurt in HillV2 shopping mall restaurant after cladding falls on her
An elderly woman suffered head injuries on Monday (Oct 31) evening after cladding fell on her in Wine Connection Bistro restaurant in HillV2 shopping mall.
The woman was believed to have been having dinner at the restaurant located in Upper Bukit Timah when the incident occurred.
The incident was reported in Chinese newspaper Lianhe Wanbao after retiree Han Chin Kwang, 62, called it in.
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CEILING COLLAPSED ON DINER AT WINE CONNECTION AT HILLV2
It was reported that a diner was having her meal at Wine Connection Bistro at HillV2 when the ceiling gave way and collapsed on her.
This happened yesterday (Oct 31) at 6+ in the evening. The lady was dining with her children when the ceiling hit her on her head. She was bleeding profusely. Paramedics bandaged her wound and she was conveyed to Ng Teng Fong Hospital.
Customers were shocked. HillV2 is a relatively new shopping mall. How could the ceiling collapse?
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Downtown Line disrupted on Tuesday morning due to platform screen door fault
Service on the Downtown Line was disrupted on Tue (Oct 4) morning due to a platform screen door fault which occurred at the Sixth Avenue station.
A picture tweeted by a commuter showed a dislodged platform door with cracked glass.
Train service was halted between the Sixth Avenue & King Albert Park stations & free bus service was provided by SBS between the Botanic Gardens & Beauty World stations.
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Stompers share photos of dislodged platform screen door that caused large crowds and delays on Downtown Line
A faulty platform screen door at Sixth Avenue MRT Station caused service disruption on the Downtown Line during today's morning rush hour (Oct 4).
The incident caused train service between the Sixth Avenue & King Albert Park stations to be halted.
Stompers Eric, Alex, Gabriel, Mei Chi, Jeffrey, Paul, Gavin, Marianne, Rashi and Kelly had shared with Stomp photos showing the dislodged door - with its glass cracked - as well as large crowds that were caught in the delay.
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LRT sped past 3 stations non-stop with passengers at Bukit Panjang LRT line
A passenger recalls the harrowing experience of how a Light-Rail Train at the Bukit Panjang LRT line sped past three stations on Thu (28 July) and could not be stopped by the emergency stop button found in the cabin.
Ms Jacqueline Bong was with her friend when they took the train at Segar Station at about 11.45 pm -12 pm and supposed to alight at Jelapang station to pick up their kids from kindergarten.
However, the train did not stop at the next station but instead, sped up and went past Jelapang station.
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Woman recounts harrowing experience aboard ‘really fast’ LRT which did not stop for three stations
A lady by the name of Jacqueline Bong posted a complaint to SMRT’s Facebook page on Jul 28 recounting her experience aboard a Bukit Panjang LRT train.
She said that she boarded at Segar station and was supposed to alight at Jelapang station which was one stop away, but the train did not stop and no one responded after a passenger used emergency phone onboard. The train only stopped three stations away at Phoenix station.
SMRT has since responded on Facebook to her posting, here’s what they said on the same day of the posting:
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Recent major breakdowns on Bukit Panjang LRT
A Light Rapid Transit (LRT) train travelling along the Bukit Panjang LRT line. FOTO: ST FILE
The Bukit Panjang LRT has been problematic from the time it started running in 1999. And it still remains so.
Last year, it had 10 major breakdowns (those that last more than half an hour). In comparison, the Sengkang-Punggol LRT had 5 such breakdowns in the same period.
The North-South & East-West MRT lines, which are much longer and operate at a much higher frequency & load, had 7 in total.
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Yet another train delay due to track fault on Circle Line, the 3rd time in 3 days
Commuters travelling on the Circle Line were held up today due to a track fault this morning (Aug 31), in what is the 3rd related incident this week.
Stomper Eric was at Bishan MRT Station at 8.30am and recounted what he saw to Stomp:
"Staff closed off the escalators and stairs to direct passengers on a longer route to the platform.
read more
'Wayward' buses end up at 'Odd' places
Second incident of wayward bus in 2 days
A public bus has ended up in an unlikely place - the 2nd time this has happened in 2 days.
An SBS Transit bus was found in a tennis court next to Yio Chu Kang MRT station on Friday (Sep 30) evening. The bus, believed to be service 13, appeared to have crashed through a fence.
It hit a lamp post, and there were shards of glass all over the tennis court. No one was playing at the court when the incident happened.
read more
Fallen tree at Holland Close caused damage to gas pipes, affecting more than 100 households
A tree around 30 meters high, fell at Block 1, Holland Close due to heavy rain and strong winds early Monday (3 October) morning causing damage to gas pipes which affected more than 100 households.
A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman said it was alerted to the incident at 5.41am and soon deployed a fire engine, a red rhino and an ambulance to the scene. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. He also said that SCDF shut off the mains to the gas pipes for safety reason.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the fallen tree damaged gas pipes and affected the supply to more than 100 households living in a block of flats and the windows' of five flats in the block were shattered by the tree's falling branches.
read more
Heritage tree falls on 40-year-old Pearl Bank Apartments, branches smash windows
A heritage tree more than 8 storeys tall fell on Pearl Bank Apartments in Chinatown on Sunday (Sep 11) morning.
At least 6 apartments from the 4th to 8th floors were affected, Lianhe Wanbao reported.
Residents said that the loud crash as the tree's branches smashed their windows woke them up early on Sunday morning.
related: Tree that fell into apartments flagged as risk
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CUSTOMERS AT BUKIT MERAH COFFEE SHOP STARTLED BY FALLING CEILING BOARDS
He was collecting money from a customer at his drinks stall when he heard a loud crash.
When Mr Zhang realised what had caused the sudden sound, he was shocked. Several ceiling boards in the coffee shop had fallen onto the floor and smashed into pieces.
"It was a very loud bang. There was a lady walking past and it nearly hit her," the drinks stall operator told The New Paper yesterday.
read more
HDB buildings no longer safe
The common cause of all these preventable incidents has been confirmed: PAP has been employing cheaperer labour and using lowest-cost materials to increase profitability.
After this incident, the BCA, HDB and Marine Parade Town Council sprang into …. wayang. And soon, the issue will be swept under the carpet. The party accountable for the honest mistake will not be disclosed. MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling has said that she is hoping that the authorities will consider revamping these few blocks in the near future – standard PAP fire-fighting protocol.
As our infrastructure ages, we should expect more PAP-created issues to surface. How not to when they have been focused on milking citizens and taking economic shortcuts without accountability?
read more
HDB BUILDINGS NO LONGER SAFE? CHEAP LABOUR & LOW COST MATERIALS TO BLAME?
HDB buildings appear to be no longer safe. According to Shin Min Daily News, “a slab of the roof-wall” fell from Block 51 in MacPherson Road 2 days ago.
The size of the calcium silicate board which measured about “4 metres by 2 metres” – slightly larger than 2 king size mattresses – could have caused a number of fatalities. Again, lady luck was smiling at us.
Just last month a concrete sun breaker weighing a few hundred kilos was dislodged from another HDB block in Tampines and last year, a smaller slab of concrete fell from this block (below) in Whampoa.
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Concrete feature collapses at HDB block in Tampines; building structurally safe, says HDB
A concrete feature on the exterior of a Housing & Development Board (HDB) block collapsed on Sunday (Sep 25) morning, but the authorities say no injuries were reported.
The incident occurred on the 4th floor of Block 201E, Tampines Street 23, around 10:05am.
No Singapore Civil Defence Force vehicles were dispatched, The Straits Times understands. Police arrived on the scene to cordon off the area.
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HDB & TOWN COUNCIL TO INSPECT ALL SUN BREAKERS AFTER ONE BROKE IN TAMPINES
Received a call this morning and rushed over.
One side of the sun breaker broke and landed on 3rd storey breaker. We have secured the breaker with tension cords to anchor points on the rooftop, activated the crane and the engineer is doing a thorough inspection now.
We will be removing this and HDB and TC will be working together to inspect the rest of the sun breakers after this, to ensure their integrity and safety.
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Concrete facade nearly toppled on four storey Tampine HDB block, no one hurt
A concrete facade at a four-storey HDB block along Tampines Street 23 was unseated and fortunately did not drop down from the top floor. No one was hurt in the incident that happened on Sunday morning, 25 September.
The collapsed structure functions as a sun shield for a unit on the fourth floor of Block 201E.
CNA reported the owner of the HDB building block, the Tampines Town Council, has been directed by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to engage a professional engineer to advise on the necessary procedure to remove the relocated sun breaker, and to conduct an investigation and recommendation of permanently rebuilt works.
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Tampines residents worry about more sunshades collapsing
RESIDENTS of the Tampines flat where a concrete sunshade partially dislodged late last week are worried that the other sunshades might give way too, given that the area is a neighbourhood centre with a thronging thoroughfare on the ground floor.
On Sunday morning (Sept 25), a 5m-long concrete sunshade outside a fourth-floor flat at Block 201E, Tampines Street 23 dislodged partially and landed on the corner of the sunshade of the floor below.
Although no one was hurt, it gave residents quite the scare, and now residents are afraid that other sunshades – at least seven on the same facade – might follow suit.
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Plaster slab falls from 18th storey of HDB block
A slab of plaster fell off the facade of an HDB block on Sunday, from a height of 18 storeys.
Residents of Block 464, Choa Chu Kang Ave 4, said it was fortunate no one was hurt, as the walkway below is a popular one.
The piece of plaster, which broke on impact, was about 1.5m by 0.6m, or the size of a large bath towel. The area has been cordoned off by the Chua Chu Kang Town Council.
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Debris Danger! 16th Storey HDB Flat Wall Breaks Apart, Residents Alarmed and Worried
“What the hell” and “KNN” probably rolled off the tongues of some Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 residents yesterday morning, as they found broken-off concrete blocks littering the pathways near block 464.
Looking up, they discovered that the blocks were part of the building wall which broke off from the 16th floor! The big break likely took place in the wee hours of morning.
According to one resident, he had sent his daughter home at around 2am and didn’t find any debris on the ground, but to his horror, the concrete blocks were there at 7am when he went downstairs.
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Second concrete chunk falls off ceiling of HDB block this week-- this time at Hougang
STOMPer David was shocked to see a large chunk of plaster that fell from the 9th floor ceiling of a HDB block at Hougang Avenue. He hopes the relevant authorities can look into maintaining the building and the ones in the older estates.
This is the second of such incidents reported this week, with the first taking place at Choa Chu Kang on Sunday (Nov 11). Said STOMPer David:
"A concrete slab fell off the 9th floor ceiling of block 601, Hougang Avenue at around 10 am today (Nov 15). I did not witness the exact moment when the slab fell off. I must have missed it by 10 to 15 minutes. Thank God no one was hurt! Can the authorities look into not only our building but the ones in the older estates? It must have happened due to the rain and perhaps stagnant water accumulating on the rooftop of our flats."Picture 1 to 6 of the gallery show the chunk of plaster that fell off the HDB ceiling at Hougang, while the other two pictures are of the incident at Choa Chu Kang.
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Blocked drain caused condo glass panels to shatter
A blocked drain caused glass panels around a condominium's 5-floor swimming pool to shatter, sending broken glass and water cascading onto a carpark below, an investigation has found.
The Building & Construction Authority (BCA) found that overflowing water from the outdoor infinity pool at the Cradels condo in Balestier was caught in the narrow drain between the pool wall and the glass wall, causing water pressure to build up and the glass panels to eventually give way.
No one was hurt during the Jul 8 incident.
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Lorry crashes into walkway shelter at Bukit Batok, causing it to collapse on car
A parked car was crushed underneath the collapsed shelter at Block 118, Bukit Batok West Ave 6 FOTO: YEO KAI WEN
A walkway shelter at an open-air carpark in Bukit Batok collapsed on Fri (Jun 17) morning, crushing a car & drawing curious onlookers.
The Straits Times understands that a lorry with an attached crane had crashed into the shelter, which linked Blocks 116 and 118 at Bukit Batok West Ave 6.
The lorry driver, a man in his 60s, was arrested, a police spokesman said in response to media queries. No other vehicles were involved in the accident and there were no injuries.
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Crane crashes into pedestrian shelter at Bt Batok, causing it to tumble
In a statement on Friday (Jun 17), the Jurong-Clementi Town Council confirmed that no one was injured in the incident.
"Our initial findings revealed that the lorry driver failed to lower the crane before driving through the linkway," the town council said.
It added that it would assist the affected car's owner in his compensation claims.
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Another crane crashes into sheltered walkway in Bukit Batok
Facebook user Lawrence Chong shared the pictures of a crane boom of a lorry crashing into a shelter linkway located between Block 504 and 506 of Bukit Batok East Street 52. The pictures shared by the user showed that there was significant damage to the structure. The incident happened today at about 2.50pm.
The incident is strangely similar to another accident which also happened in Bukit Batok a month ago, on 17 Jun. A sheltered walkway at Block 116 Bukit Batok West Avenue 6 collapsed after the crane boom of a lorry crashed into it.
The user’s pictures showed that the officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Police were at the site of the accident.
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Woman escapes injury after escalator step suddenly breaks apart at The Arcade at Raffles Place
A woman escaped injury after a step on the escalator she was riding on at The Arcade in Raffles Place broke.
An eyewitness, named only as Mrs Liu, told Chinese evening newspapers that she heard a loud bang coming from the escalator, which runs from the 1st to the 2nd floor, at about 3.30pm on Tue (Jan 5).
2 people were riding on it - a man who had just reached the landing on the 2nd floor, and a woman who was about 3 steps behind, Lianhe Wanbao reported.
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Escalator at The Arcade Breaks Apart, Aunties Get the Scare of Their Lives!
With the recent gory news of how freak escalator accidents in China have killed or injured people, you’d forgive two aunties for screaming their lungs out at The Arcade when the escalator they were riding on “exploded”.
With a loud “bang”, one of the steps of the escalator step suddenly splintered and broke off from the rest of the tiles.
That caused a gap to form in which a person could possibly fall through and get crushed to death by the escalator mechanism.
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Sinkholes in Singapore: Five other cases in the past and what caused them
Tipper truck in sink hole near Jalan Demak on April 24, 2014. - ST FOTO: JOYCE FANG
A section of Upper Changi Road East caved in on Thursday morning causing a tipper truck to collapse into the road. The accident happened about 50m away from a construction site for the upcoming Downtown Line 3. We look at some recent cases of sinkholes which had appeared in different parts of Singapore, and what could have caused the cave-ins.
Keppel Road, Jan 30, 2013
Clementi Road, March 5, 2013
Clementi, March 8, 2013
Woodlands Road, March 16, 2013
Commonwealth Avenue West, Dec 23, 2013
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A 'Sign of Distress' in Singapore?
Another whole row of flags are upside down in run up to National Day
Another photo of upside down Singapore flags has been circulating online in the run-up to National Day 2017. This time, an entire row of flags are hoisted upside down outside Aqua-Nautics Pte Ltd in Sembawang.
The blunder comes two weeks after a photo showing foreign workers planting an upside down flag went viral. The workers were likely employed by the Executive Committee organising the National Day Parade this year.
The display of the Singapore Flag is subject to about 40 rules, according to Singapore Statutes. Rules state that the Singapore flag must only be displayed upside down only as a sign of distress. Since it is a reflection of the nation’s ideals, beliefs and values, it is to be be treated with dignity and honour at all times.
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Rise in major breakdowns but MRT gets more reliable - LTA
There were 14 major breakdowns on the MRT network last year - an increase of 40% from the previous year, the Land Transport Authority announced on its website yesterday.
Meanwhile, the number of such breakdowns, each lasting more than 30 minutes, on the LRT system nearly quadrupled to 15.
For the MRT, only the newest line - the Downtown Line - posted a drop in the number of major disruptions. All others saw an increase, with the oldest --- North-South and East-West lines --- accounting for half the total of 14.
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Recent lift mishaps
A day after MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, Mr Zainal Sapari saying no fault was found in a lift that had malfunctioned at Block 299A Compassvale Street, the problem at the same lift happened again.
Twitter user Sara Victoria Grosse shared a picture of the malfunctioning lift on her social media platform.
Meanwhile, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has asked the Ministry of National Development to provide Singaporeans a full account of its lift maintenance records. The following is a press release by SDP:
- 14 October 2015, Jurong: A lift door jammed, causing the hand of an 85-year-old woman to be severed.
- 23 January 2016, Punggol: The doors of the lift remained open as the elevator moved.
- 6 March 2016, Ang Mo Kio: A lift shot up 17 floors when the lift-brakes malfunctioned, trapping a passenger inside for one-and-a-half hours.
- 15 May 2016, Pasir Ris: A lift jammed when the doors opened, leaving a gap that caused a wheelchair-bound elderly passenger to fall and die.
- 7 June 2016, Bukit Panjang: A lift bounced up and down like a yo-yo, going down from the 9th to the 1st floor, shooting up to the 11th, plunging back down to the 3rd and finally going back up to the 12th. It left a 59-year old woman’s spine fractured.
- 10 June 2016, Sengkang: A lift jerked to a sudden halt and then plunged a couple of floors before coming to a complete stop.
Even PRCs file complaints against their own locally made lifts
EM Services responsible for maintaining lift involved in spine-injury incident
Even PRCs complain against Shenyang Brilliant Elevators
Shenyang Brilliant Elevator
SG Buildings Crumbling Down Parody
A witty video featuring an elderly man pointing out Singapore's building defects has emerged on YouTube.
In the clip, the man adapts the lyrics of popular children's nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down" to emphasise the point of Singapore's "crumbling buildings".
At the start of the video, the man is seen standing outside Jem, which made headlines in 2013 when a leaking water pipe caused the mall's ceiling to collapse, injuring 3.
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Roof collapses at Hilton Hotel driveway proves Orchard Road is breaking down
On Thursday, Dec. 10, decorations tied to a street lamp outside Peranakan Place spontaneously caught fire at about 9.10pm. A week earlier, on Dec. 2, a Christmas tree outside the Abercrombie & Fitch outlet at Knightsbridge mall at Orchard Road caught fire and burst into flames also at about 9pm.
On Friday, Dec. 11, a tree came crashing down on the road in front of Orchard Central mall after being battered by heavy rain, as parts of Orchard Road became flooded.
On Saturday, Dec. 12, a power outage — believed to have been caused by the flood the previous day — hit Orchard Central at 2pm, forcing some shops to close early for the day. Power was restored at some parts of the shopping mall later in the day, but some retailers were forced to close early.
On Sunday, Dec. 13, part of the roof over the driveway of Hilton Singapore hotel collapsed, proving Volvo manufactures sturdy vehicles, in what has become a positive piece of news for the automobile maker and a more negative one for insurers.
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Jinx @ JEM
28 Dec 2014
Stomper alamat was concerned to see the state of this ceiling at Jem shopping mall at around 10pm yesterday (Dec 27)
Water has accumulated in one section of the ceiling and the weight of it seems to be pulling the ceiling down.
Said the Stomper: "Jem ceiling is collapsing. "Water has somehow gathered in one section of the ceiling.
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15 Facts You Never Knew About The Collapse Of Hotel New World
30 years have passed since the collapse of Hotel New World and yesterday (15 Mar) marked its 30th anniversary.
It was one of the worst disasters since post-war Singapore and the catastrophe left 33 people dead, 17 survivors and the whole of Singapore devastated.
Here are 15 facts you did not know about the tragedy that took place in 1986:
read more
related:
Why is everything breaking down in Singapore???
Singapore PM Stirs Flap in Cambodia by Bringing up Vietnam’s 1979 Invasion
Vietnamese “Hang Flower” Girl Calls Hometown Kakis to Beat Up Korean Rival
What is happening in ‘Clean’ Singapore?
A 'Sign of Distress' in Singapore?
SG Buildings Crumbling Down Parody
Singapore’s Story: What comes next
To Singapore, with Love 星国恋
Glue fails to hold stools causing elderly man to fall
Why is everything breaking down in Singapore?
Massive blackout across Singapore
A 'Sign of Distress' in Singapore?
Spate of SingPost 'service failures'
Spate of Data Breaches In Singapore
Spate of Fire break outs
Spate of MOH's slip-ups
Spate of food poisoning cases
Spate of child abuse cases
Spate of molestation and outrage of modesty
Spate of MRT disruptions
Spate of e-bike accidents
Spate of cars flipping over
Spate of vehicles on fire
Spate of facade cladding falling off
Spate of Escalator accidents
Spate of lift accidents
Ensure structural safety of HDB blocks b4 injury or death result
SG Buildings Crumbling Down Parody
HDB Lift ceiling collapsed upon 10-yr-old girl
Elevator and Train Operate With 'Open Doors'
MRT from "Rolling Stock To Laughing Stock"
MRT breakdowns are Singapore’s cross to bear
Jinx @ JEM
15 Facts You Never Knew About The Collapse Of Hotel New World
30 years have passed since the collapse of Hotel New World and yesterday (15 Mar) marked its 30th anniversary.
It was one of the worst disasters since post-war Singapore and the catastrophe left 33 people dead, 17 survivors and the whole of Singapore devastated.
Here are 15 facts you did not know about the tragedy that took place in 1986:
- In 1975, the building had a toxic carbon monoxide leak
- Two of the supporting pillars cracked the night before the disaster
- 75 mins before the collapse, debris was found in the basement
- Rescue teams were not trained to deal with such a large-scale tragedy
- The use of heavy machinery was not feasible
- The first tunnel caved in
- The injured were taken to the hospital in a helicopter
- The tunnelling experts found a death trap
- A piano company was transformed into a command center
- Singaporean ministers were there for the people when disaster struck
- The building’s collapse was suspected to be caused by a bomb
- Live load of the building
- A startling discovery
- Supporting columns caused the building to collapse
- Some survivors made it out alive with only bruises
read more
related:
Why is everything breaking down in Singapore???
Singapore PM Stirs Flap in Cambodia by Bringing up Vietnam’s 1979 Invasion
Vietnamese “Hang Flower” Girl Calls Hometown Kakis to Beat Up Korean Rival
What is happening in ‘Clean’ Singapore?
A 'Sign of Distress' in Singapore?
SG Buildings Crumbling Down Parody
Singapore’s Story: What comes next
To Singapore, with Love 星国恋
Glue fails to hold stools causing elderly man to fall
Why is everything breaking down in Singapore?
Massive blackout across Singapore
A 'Sign of Distress' in Singapore?
Spate of SingPost 'service failures'
Spate of Data Breaches In Singapore
Spate of Fire break outs
Spate of MOH's slip-ups
Spate of food poisoning cases
Spate of child abuse cases
Spate of molestation and outrage of modesty
Spate of MRT disruptions
Spate of e-bike accidents
Spate of cars flipping over
Spate of vehicles on fire
Spate of facade cladding falling off
Spate of Escalator accidents
Spate of lift accidents
Ensure structural safety of HDB blocks b4 injury or death result
SG Buildings Crumbling Down Parody
HDB Lift ceiling collapsed upon 10-yr-old girl
Elevator and Train Operate With 'Open Doors'
MRT from "Rolling Stock To Laughing Stock"
MRT breakdowns are Singapore’s cross to bear
Jinx @ JEM
