Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole: Seven foreign workers who rescued woman given appreciation coin

Seven foreign workers who rescued a woman from a sinkhole in Tanjong Katong Road South on July 26 were given tokens of appreciation on the night of July 27.

Mr Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, Mr Sathapillai Rajendran, Mr Anbazhagan Velmurugan, Mr Poomalai Saravanan, Mr Ganesan Veerasekar, Mr Bose Ajithkumar and Mr Arumugam Chandirasekaran each received a coin from the Ministry of Manpower’s Assurance, Care and Engagement (ACE) Group.

Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash gave the Friends of ACE coins to the workers personally when he visited them at their dormitory on July 27, he said in a Facebook video on July 28.

The coins, which are presented in red boxes, are similar to certificates of commendation.

In April, four construction workers involved in saving children from a River Valley shophouse fire also received these coins for their efforts.

A section of Tanjong Katong Road South collapsed at around 5.50pm on July 26. It caused two lanes of the road to cave in, just adjacent to a PUB worksite.

A woman and the black car she was driving fell into the sinkhole when the ground suddenly gave way under the vehicle.

The workers, who were at the worksite, pulled the driver to safety using a nylon rope.

Mr Dinesh said in the Facebook video: “All of them have, in their own ways, leaned forward to support the lady who was in need, and that made a big difference to a situation that would have otherwise been very different.”

He added that the coins were a small token of appreciation for the workers, who have travelled very far from home to “not only build Singapore, but also to make sure that, when they are required, they step forward and they can help others as well”.

Mr Dinesh commended the seven workers for reacting quickly, moving forward to help the driver and stopping traffic to prevent further incidents from taking place.

“Not only do (these migrant workers) work in the worksites and build Singapore – especially in the construction sector – but they also step forward and make themselves count when it’s important for them to do so,” he added.

Mr Subbiah, a 46-year-old construction site supervisor at Ohin Construction, had told the media that he and his colleagues saw the driver fall into the sinkhole and wanted to help her as quickly as possible.

He noted that one of his colleagues wanted to go down to help her, but Mr Subbiah advised him against doing so as he was worried they would not be able to climb out.

He then instructed a group of workers to toss the woman a nylon rope so that they could pull her out. The entire rescue effort lasted three to five minutes.

The woman was taken conscious to hospital.

On the evening of July 26, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Facebook that the driver was rescued by workers before SCDF arrived at the scene.

“We will be reaching out to the workers to commend them for their bravery and prompt action in saving a life,” it added.

SCDF said it will be giving awards – either the Community Lifesaver Award or Community First Responder Award – to these workers at a later date.

Esther Loi for The Straits Times