[SINGAPORE] The black car that fell into a sinkhole along Tanjong Katong Road South was hoisted out with a crane on Sunday afternoon (Jul 27), as work continues to repair the road and reopen it to traffic.
That stretch of Tanjong Katong Road South between Mountbatten Road and East Coast Parkway remains closed, one day after a sinkhole caused two lanes of the road to collapse.
The road closure will also mean bus services 36 and 48 will be diverted and skip bus stops along Marine Parade, Amber, Mountbatten and Tanjong Katong roads, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post on Jul 27.
“Motorists and commuters are advised to plan ahead for their journeys and anticipate possible delays,” said LTA in its post.
The authority did not say when repair works will be completed and the road reopened.
The sinkhole had formed at around 5.50pm on Jul 26, according to national water agency PUB. The collapse caused a car to fall in, and its driver, a woman, was rescued by workers at the site.
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After she was taken to safety, videos of the sinkhole showed that it rapidly filled with water.
In its post, LTA said it is working closely with PUB and the Building and Construction Authority to monitor repair works and ensure the area is safe.
The incident had taken place adjacent to a PUB worksite. Residents had earlier told reporters that there was a burst water pipe in the same area the night before the sinkhole appeared.
Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC MP Goh Pei Ming visited the site on Jul 27 and told reporters later that PUB has assessed the ground to be stable.
He said the sinkhole had to be drained slowly so the authorities can assess how the ground responds to the water being extracted.
The fallen car was hoisted out with a crane after 2.05pm on Jul 27. The black Mazda had a heavily dented front end and a smashed windscreen, and was covered in scratches.
The entire lifting operation took about 10 minutes.
Goh said that the authorities hope to restore normalcy to the area as quickly as possible, and are working towards a tentative goal of repairing the road before Jul 28.
On Jul 27, Mountbatten MP Gho Sze Kee, who also visited the site in the morning, said the woman is in hospital for observation and that she has been experiencing muscular pain.
Construction site foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, who pulled the woman out of the hole together with his colleagues, told reporters they had acted on instinct to save her.
“Someone had fallen in. We were just determined to save her as fast as possible. That was the goal,” said the 46-year-old Subbiah in Tamil.
Some residents told ST that extensive road and excavation works have been taking place in the area, and were worried about whether this affected ground integrity.
“I hope it’s a one-off incident and the authorities will investigate and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Tommy Lim, 47, a sales manager. THE STRAITS TIMES
