Aid for Indian worker killed in Singapore crane fall

A migrant workers organisation in Singapore is working with the employers and contractors of the construction site where a worker from India died following a crane accident here on Tuesday to provide an interim support amount to the deceased's family, even as his work injury compensation is being processed.

The Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC), a non-profit organisation, on Saturday said it was working on providing the family of Velmurugan Muthian, 28, with a "token sum" while they wait for the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) process to conclude which could be SGD 1,00,000 based on such cases in the last 10 years.

The MWC expects the compensation process to take three to six months to complete.

Read: Indian worker killed in Singapore crane fall flown back

Meanwhile, an online crowdfunding campaign, started by a volunteer organisation 'ItsRainingRaincoats', has raised more than SGD 1,58,000 to support Muthian's family comprising his pregnant wife, elderly parents and younger brother in Tamil Nadu, according to media reports.

"Where necessary, the MWC will also help to supplement this token (amount) to ensure that the needs of his (Muthian) family are met as they await the compensation from WICA," read a Facebook post on Saturday.

"In addition, we are reaching out to Velmurugan's wife to provide her with basic financial literacy advice so that she is able to manage the funds that come from the token and WICA, in order to support her unborn child and the immediate family for the long term," Channel News Asia quoted the MWC as saying.

Velmurugan, who had been working in Singapore for over five years, had recently returned after getting married.

He was killed in a crane collapse incident during a 300-kg scaffolding material lifting operation at the construction site of a new rehab facility for Tan Tock Seng Hospital here on Tuesday.

The remains of Velmurugan have been sent home.