SCDF rescue vehicles parked at the building collapse site at Bernam Street in Tanjong Pagar on Jun 15, 2023. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
SINGAPORE: A reinforced concrete wall from the second storey of a building at a Tanjong Pagar work site collapsed during demolition works on Thursday (Jun 15), said the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
In a joint statement, the authorities said the concrete wall, measuring about 10m long and 3.8m high, collapsed onto Bernam Street on Thursday afternoon.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted at 2pm to the incident at Bernam Street, where Fuji Xerox Towers is being demolished to make way for redevelopment works.
It deployed 11 emergency vehicles and about 70 officers, including members from the elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART). Two search dogs were also involved in the effort to locate the missing worker.
The site where Fuji Xerox Towers once stood is slated to be redeveloped as Newport Residences, a 246-unit freehold condominium by City Developments Limited (CDL).
MOM and BCA said a professional engineer has assessed that the remaining building is "stable" with no "structural concerns".
BCA has instructed the project parties to stop all construction activities, and will revoke the permit for all works while investigations are ongoing.
According to the authorities, the occupier of the worksite is Woh Hup and the employer of the missing worker is Aik Sun Demolition and Engineering.
MOM has also instructed Aik Sun Demolition and Engineering to stop all works at the site.
"As a general safety measure, demolition works must be properly planned for structures to be demolished in a systematic manner," said BCA and MOM.
This includes establishing a demolition plan detailing the demolition sequences and demolishing from the top-down to reduce possibility of collapse of large structures.
CNA has contacted CDL for more information.