Migrant workers involved in Tanjong Katong sinkhole rescue get SCDF awards, goodie bags for heroic act
On Wednesday (Aug 6), the men were each presented with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Community Lifesaver Award during an appreciation ceremony organised by the Marine Parade Citizens' Consultative Committees. The event was held at a sheltered space between Blocks 74 and 75 Marine Drive.
The SCDF award is presented to members of the public whose actions saved lives and involved an element of self-risk.
The workers were also treated to an appreciation lunch, and were each given a goodie bag prepared by telecommunications company Singtel.
The bag contained items such as a SG60 Merlion keychain plushie blind box, a handheld fan and essentials such as a 2.5kg sack of rice, shower cream, detergent powder and toothbrushes.
Each worker also received a one-year unlimited 5G data plan from Singtel and a notebook personalised with their names.
Mr Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, the foreman of the construction site where the sinkhole appeared, told reporters that there was a lot of gratitude flowing to he and his workers, with people thanking them for their actions.
Speaking to the media through a translator, the workers said they were proud to have received the SCDF award and hope to stay in Singapore until the end of their working lives.
They were earlier awarded an appreciation coin from the Manpower Ministry for their rescue effort.
Witnessing the SCDF award ceremony on Wednesday, Minister of State for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming thanked the workers for putting themselves in the line of risk to step forward and help the driver "instead of running away from the danger".
"The whole nation has seen what you did that day. We are all very grateful for your bravery. Singapore is better because you have played a part in helping to support and build the Singapore, very good parts of it, we have today," he added.
Mr Goh, who is also the Member of Parliament representing the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights ward where the sinkhole incident occurred, also commended the workers for their hard work in repairing the sinkhole and reinstating the affected sections of the road that reopened in stages from last Saturday.
The sinkhole appeared along Tanjong Katong Road South on Jul 26, causing a car to fall in. It was adjacent to a PUB worksite that involved the construction of a 16m-deep shaft.
APPRECIATION FOR WORKERS INVOLVED IN ROAD REPAIR
Apart from the seven workers, 43 others who were involved in the road repair efforts were also each given the goodie bag, Singtel said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Four of these workers were present at the ceremony. They are Mr Dharmalingam Venkatraman, 49; Mr Anandan Prakash, 29; Mr Balakrishnan Balamurugan, 27; and Mr John Peter Benish Albert, 28.
Working a mix of day and night 12-hour shifts, the workers managed to gradually reopen Tanjong Pagar Road South to the public on Aug 4, nine days after the incident.
Speaking to reporters towards the end of the event, Mr Goh said his current focus was on engaging residents living near the sinkhole. He had met with the management of One Amber condominium located near the road where the sinkhole had appeared, and reassured them and the residents that the buildings were safe.
The minister of state added that he will be conducting house visits in the weeks to come to meet and hear directly from the residents on their concerns.
Asked for updates on the sinkhole incident, Mr Goh noted that the national water agency PUB and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) are still carrying out independent investigations.
"I think it's important to give them the time and the space to do a full investigation so that we can prevent such incidents in the future," he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Asia Tonight - Wed 6 Aug 2025
47:15 Min About the show: Top stories of the day with 'live' reports and interviews to keep you up-to-date on what's happening in one of the most dynamic regions of the world. Daily at 8pm (SIN / HK)
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Straits Times
Migrant workers who saved driver from sinkhole get SCDF awards, mobile data and goodie bags
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The workers who rescued a woman received the SCDF Community Lifesaver Award certificate and medallion from Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming (fourth from left). SINGAPORE – Seven workers who rescued a woman from a sinkhole in Tanjong Katong Road South were presented with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Community Lifesaver Award on Aug 6. Mr Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, Mr Sathapillai Rajendran, Mr Anbazhagan Velmurugan, Mr Bose Ajithkumar, Mr Poomalai Saravanan, Mr Ganesan Veerasekar and Mr Arumugam Chandirasekaran received the SCDF Community Lifesaver Award certificate and medallion from Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming. They had pulled a female driver out of a sinkhole using a nylon rope on July 26, after her car fell into one that formed in Tanjong Katong Road South. Speaking at the event, Mr Goh thanked the workers and said: 'Very bravely, instead of running away from danger, you put yourself in the line of risk and stepped forward to rescue the driver from the vehicle that fell into the sinkhole. 'Singapore is better because you have played a part in helping to support and build parts of Singapore – very good parts of it – that we have today,' added Mr Goh, who is an MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC. The seven men also received a year's worth of unlimited mobile data and a goodie bag of household items sponsored by Singtel at an appreciation lunch hosted by the Marine Parade Citizens' Consultative Committee at a communal hall next to Block 74 Marine Drive. Each goodie bag contained household essentials, including laundry detergent, cooling towels, shower gel, a portable fan and jasmine rice. The seven workers were treated to a traditional Indian lunch buffet at the event. The SCDF Community Lifesaver Award is presented to members of the public who respond swiftly to emergencies and help to save lives before SCDF arrives on the scene. Forty-three other workers who were involved in the recovery works to repair the sinkhole will also be receiving goodie bags. Speaking on behalf of the six other workers in Tamil, Mr Subbiah, 46, said they were happy to receive this outpouring of gratitude from the public. He noted that all seven of them were involved in pulling the driver out of the sinkhole, and managing the flow of traffic to prevent other cars from falling into the sinkhole. 'My family is very happy and very proud of me,' the construction site supervisor said. 'I like the support I get from Singaporeans who gave their thanks. I would like to stay here for five or 10 more years,' Mr Subbiah said, adding that he really likes Singapore. Mr Rajendran, a 56-year-old excavator operator who has worked in Singapore for 26 years, said he feels a sense of patriotism towards Singapore because he feels that his efforts were recognised. Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming speaking to the workers who rescued a woman from a sinkhole in Tanjong Katong Road South at an appreciation lunch on Aug 6. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY The men were overheard telling Mr Goh over lunch that they were not hoping to get anything from the Government and were just happy to be recognised. The sinkhole had formed next to a national water agency PUB worksite in Tanjong Katong Road South. Sections of the road were closed to traffic from the evening of July 26, and were fully reopened on Aug 4 after a week-long closure . Mr Goh told the media that he is focusing on engaging the residents who live near the sinkhole, via house visits, to listen to concerns they might have. He said he has met the management of One Amber condominium next to the sinkhole to reassure residents that engineers had conducted checks and the buildings are structurally safe. He declined to provide more details on the ongoing investigations being carried out by PUB and the Building and Construction Authority.
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Straits Times
Three people taken to hospital after fire in Punggol executive condominium
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The living room of a 16th-floor unit was on fire when firefighters arrived at the scene. SINGAPORE - Three people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out in an executive condominium in Punggol on Aug 6. In a Facebook post on Aug 6, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to the fire at Block 19 Punggol Field Walk at about 7pm. The address is the location of a block at Waterwoods executive condominium. The living room of a 16th-floor unit was on fire when firefighters arrived at the scene. SCDF forcibly entered the unit and extinguished the fire with a water jet. During the fire-fighting operation, four people were found in the unit and were brought to safety by firefighters, said SCDF. All four were conscious and were assessed for smoke inhalation. Two were taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital, one to Singapore General Hospital and the other declined to be taken to the hospital. Police and SCDF officers evacuated about 100 people from the affected block as a precautionary measure. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
