Building collapse kills Indian worker in Singapore

The body of a 20-year-old Indian national has been recovered, almost eight hours after a building structure collapsed at a site in Singapore’s Central Business District.

The Indian worker, employed by Aik Sun Demolition and Engineering, was found dead under the rubble after part of the Fuji Xerox Towers building in Tanjong Pagar collapsed during demolition works on Thursday.

Rescuers found the body of the worker, who has not been identified, late on Thursday night after more than six hours of search and rescue operations. His body was pinned under 2m of debris, reported The Straits Times.

Rescue workers had to cut, break and dig through the rubble, but the weight of the concrete slab, estimated to be at least 50 tonnes, complicated efforts.

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“Following an intensive search operation, a worker who was earlier reported missing was sighted to be pinned under a collapsed reinforced concrete structure at about 6 pm. The worker had no pulse and was not breathing,” The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a statement.

The body was recovered at about 9.45 pm and was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic.

He was found pinned under a collapsed reinforced concrete structure around 6 pm. He had no pulse, was not breathing and his body was recovered after a nearly four-hour effort to free him from the rubble.

"The operation also required the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) personnel to dig their way through the rubble to create space and assess where parts of the body may have been trapped," said SCDF, adding that efforts were complicated due to the weight of the concrete slab as well as mangled scaffolding around the body.

SCDF deployed 11 emergency vehicles, about 70 officers and two search dogs to the scene.

"A fibre optic scope, life detection equipment ... were also deployed to detect signs of life," said SCDF.

Colonel Firoz Ramjan, commander of the 1st SCDF Division, told reporters that SCDF took “measured” actions to remove the body from the rubble, adding that the operation was challenging due to an estimated 40 to 50 tons of reinforced concrete slab that is about half a metre in thickness.

Search operations continued through the night to ensure that no one else was trapped under the rubble, although CCTV footage shows there appears to be no other person under the structure.

Kartik Vaidya, who works at Anson House in the vicinity, said he was extremely concerned about the safety of workers when he first learnt of the collapse.

“This building has been undergoing demolition works for a few months now and so every week, when I come down (from his office), I see the levels coming down,” he said.

“To see that it has collapsed was very shocking,” Channel News Asia quoted Vaidya as saying.

The developer, City Developments Limited (CDL), said in a statement late on Thursday night that it is deeply saddened by the incident.

"We share our deepest condolences with the family for their loss and are working with Aik Sun to offer our assistance," a spokesperson said.

"Our immediate priority is the well-being of the affected workers, and we are working closely with our contractors to provide the necessary support."