He wanted to satisfy his durian craving, but his purchase left him with a bad taste in his mouth — and $345 poorer. A real estate agent surnamed Feng, who lives at Block 56 Geylang Bahru, told Shin Min Daily News that a durian salesman knocked on his door at about 2pm last Saturday (May 25). The 58-year-old said the seller, who looked to be in his 30s, had a large bag of durians with him and asked if Feng wanted to buy some.  «I decided to buy a few to satisfy my craving. I asked if he had any bitter ones and he said yes, but didn't specify which variant,» he added. «He told me they cost $18 per kilogram, and I thought it was a reasonable price.»  At first, Feng told the salesman that he only wanted two durians, but the latter insisted that he had to buy at least four and get one free.  «I was quite reluctant but I couldn't refuse him, so I just agreed. He was very quick to slice open a durian, but didn't let me try it.»  It is a common practice for durian stallholders to offer to let customers taste the durian they open up.

To honour her youngest son's dream of helping others, a mother decided to donate his organs after the teen was declared brain dead more than three weeks after he collapsed in school. Isaac Loo, 14, fell unconscious midway through a 2.4km practice run in school at around 8.15am on May 2. The Woodlands Secondary School student was rushed to KK Women's and Children's Hospital, and later slipped into a coma, reported Lianhe Zaobao. Alas, the teen was declared brain dead by doctors on Saturday (May 25) — which devastated his 52-year-old mother Fiona Soo, who had clung to hope for weeks that he would wake up. Soo and her three children are permanent residents from Malaysia. Her husband died of liver cancer in 2022.  Soo told Zaobao that the news from the doctor, broken just four days after Isaac's 14th birthday, was a huge blow.  «The doctor said Isaac may have fallen into a coma because his heart could not bear the stress during vigorous exercise, leading to arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat),» she added.

He thought that he'd scored a lucrative job — but ended up paying $192 out of his own pocket.  Chen (transliteration), 43, told Shin Min Daily News that he'd received a job from a customer on the Lalamove app last Sunday (May 26).  He has a full-time job as an engineer, but does Lalamove deliveries on Sunday to earn extra cash.  The customer asked Chen to help him buy a burger from McDonald's, and some other items from 7-Eleven.  Chen said that the job came with a $89 priority fee, and after including the other services charges, he would earn $121.  He then accepted the job and began communicating with the customer over WhatsApp.  «He used an Indonesian number and asked me to go to McDonald's and a 7-Eleven along Orchard Road to buy food.  »He texted me repeatedly to indicate what burger he wanted. I later went to the convenience store and sent him a photo of their potato chips so he could choose the flavour he wanted."  Chen spent $27 at McDonald's, and another $7 at 7-Eleven buying potato chips, drinks and paper towels. 

He risked his life for the safety of others on the road — but was it necessary to endanger himself? A motorcyclist stopped on the shouder of a two-lane expressway and crossed to the other lane to clear a vehicle bumper that was lying on the road, according to a video uploaded to Facebook group Singapore Road Accident on Sunday (May 26). In the dashcam footage dated May 14, the man waits by the shoulder for traffic to clear before dashing out to pick up the bumper. He leaves it near the bushes along the road shoulder. After waiting for traffic to die down again, the motorcyclist runs out two more times to clear the smaller debris.

A TikToker reported a lost item at Changi Airport and could not believe it when she received an email that the item had been found less than 30 minutes later. The TikToker, who goes by Nim, expressed her amazement and gratitude to the airport in a video posted on May 26. In the 52-second video, Nim said that this was a «only-in-Singapore story» that happened to her partner the night before. The TikToker, who had moved to Singapore in 2022, recounted that her partner was flying out of Changi Airport and had purchased a gift in a duty-free shop. «In his mad haste, he ended up leaving the bag on a bollard in the arrivals pickup area and my partner thought it was long gone,» said the lawyer from Australia. «But I had a look online and I realised that you could just mark an item as missing, so I did that with kind of no hope that it would be found.» She was referring to the Lost & Found page on the Changi Airport website where you can enquire about lost items on an aircraft or at the airport.

Suspended policeman Kevin Chelvam admitted in court on May 27 that he had grabbed domestic helper Piang Ngaih Don by her hair and lifted her off the ground in a fit of anger a month before her death. The 24-year-old Myanmar national weighed only 24kg when she died on July 26, 2016, compared with 39kg just over a year before in May 2015. Taking the stand for the first time on the 13th day of his trial, Chelvam, who was suspended from service on Aug 8, 2016, said that he had been frustrated with the helper. On the day of the incident on June 24, 2016, he said the family was set to go swimming, but Ms Piang Ngaih Don, who had worked for the family for 14 months, kept falling asleep instead of having her meal. The 45-year-old Chelvam, who faces five charges, also told the court that on the day of her death, he saw her breathing while appearing to be asleep before he left for work that morning. He said that when he noticed her hand was tied to the window grille, he told his then wife, Gaiyathiri Murugayan, to untie the maid. Later that day, Gaiyathiri called to tell him Ms Piang Ngaih Don was dead.

SINGAPORE — A private-hire driver took a laptop that a passenger accidentally left behind and lied that he had not seen it. Riduan Chumadi, who was a Grab driver at the time, sent the laptop for a factory reset, causing all data in the device — including two years of work-related information — to be deleted. The victim, a 42-year-old bank employee, told investigators that her daily work would be impaired for the next six months to a year. Riduan, 46, was sentenced to a week in jail on May 24 after he pleaded guilty to one count of dishonestly misappropriating the device. The incident happened on Oct 18, 2023, when the victim left her office in Marina Boulevard at around 1.45pm and boarded Riduan's car. State Prosecuting Officer (SPO) Lam Peng Choy said the woman accidentally left her laptop worth $3,000 inside the vehicle when she alighted around 15 minutes later at Raffles Hospital in North Bridge Road.  Riduan picked up another passenger, who found the device and handed it to Riduan. SPO Lam told the court: "The accused decided to dishonestly misappropriate the laptop and… kept it in the boot of the car.

SINGAPORE — Ten power-assisted bicycles (PABs) and brakeless bicycles were seized during an islandwide enforcement operation by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on May 24. In response to The Straits Times' queries on May 27, LTA said operations were carried out at AMK Hub, Waterway Point and The Seletar Mall. LTA added that the offences by riders included riding their PABs on footpaths, riding and keeping an unregistered PAB, tampering the seal on a PAB, riding brakeless bicycles and failure to attach a registration number plate. «LTA conducts daily operations islandwide to enforce against errant active mobility users and to educate users on active mobility rules and guidelines,» LTA said, adding those who breach its regulations will be dealt with. 

All construction sites with a contract sum of $5 million and above will be required to install a Video Surveillance System (VSS) for employee safety from June 1, 2024. This system acts as a deterrent for unsafe workplace behaviours, provides valuable training resources for companies and offers insights for investigations of safety incidents and near-misses, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Monday (May 27). The VSS was demonstrated to AsiaOne during a media visit to the Serangoon Polyclinic construction site along Upper Serangoon Road on Monday. Charles Cruz, 51, an interface engineer from Zheng Keng Engineering and Construction, the project's main contractor, showed the media the surveillance system which monitors workers in high-risk locations and uses video analytics to see if they upheld safety practices. The system, which was installed last October, automatically detects safety breaches and sends an alert to supervisors.  It costs $25,000, which Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said was a small proportion for a multi-million-dollar project.

SINGAPORE — The mayor of a small town in the Philippines, who is said to own 16 vehicles and a helicopter, has been linked to two foreigners arrested in Singapore's $3 billion money laundering case. The revelation emerged when Alice Guo, mayor of Bamban in Tarlac, a province north of Manila, was investigated by the Senate of the Philippines over her alleged involvement in illegal scam hubs. Guo had incorporated Baofu Land Development in 2019 with Zhang Ruijin and Lin Baoying, as well as Philippine national Rachel Joan Malonzo Carreon and Cypriot national Huang Zhiyang. According to media reports, the company built a compound in Bamban that allegedly housed illegal scam operations. Chinese national Zhang, 45, who also holds a passport issued by Saint Kitts and Nevis, was sentenced to 15 months' jail after he pleaded guilty in Singapore on April 30 to money laundering and forgery charges. His lover and fellow Chinese national Lin, 44, who also holds a passport from Dominica, faces 10 charges, including the use of forged documents and possession of benefits of criminal conduct. She is expected to plead guilty on May 30.

An Ikea shopper was greeted with a distressing sight while leaving the store's car park on Sunday (May 26) — a black dog that was apparently struggling to breathe while being leashed to a parked van.  A video of the incident was posted on Sgfollowall's Instagram page on Monday.  «He was barking to get people's attention, and the leash was too short so he had to stand on his two hind legs to get some air,» wrote the shopper in the video.  «Why bring your dog when you know Ikea is not pet-friendly?» the unnamed shopper questioned.  https://www.instagram.com/p/C7bOwoNBcP0/?hl=en In the post's caption, the shopper said that they also reported the incident to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).  The shopper said they eventually alerted Ikea staff to the incident. According to the post, security staff eventually rescued the dog while another staff member tried to look for the owner. 

He refused to cut his habits, so his family severed ties with him. A single mum in Malaysia has put out ads and held a press conference to disown her debt-ridden son, The Star reported last Saturday (May 25). «He would beg me for help each time and I always felt sorry for him,» Chia Hui Chiang, 62, said at a media conference called by Johor MCA Youth public services and complaints bureau chief Henry Mok last Friday. «I even used up my retirement savings and yet he is deep in his habits of gambling and drug abuse.» The retired teacher had reportedly given her 36-year-old son over RM100,000 (S$28,700) to pay off his debts. She said her son left their home on May 21 and they've not heard from him since. However, his absence was certainly felt. Chia said creditors harassed her and her family, demanding that they pay off his RM59,100 debt, which does not include interest. Chia also put out an ad in a Chinese newspaper, letting the public — and loan sharks — know that she had cut ties with him, and to look for him directly for repayment.

A recently widowed woman is hoping that ride-hailing platform Grab would waive part of the outstanding fees incurred by her late husband, who died suddenly and had less than $20 in his bank account. Before his death on May 9, Su Zian (transliteration), 59, worked as a private-hire driver for almost 10 years and would typically drive from 3pm to 1am, reported Shin Min Daily News. In an interview with the Chinese newspaper, his widow, who is deaf, said that she had found Su, blood trickling out of his mouth, unconscious in the toilet at around 6am that day. He had been inside the toilet for at least an hour before he was found. He reportedly died of pneumonia and heart disease. Mrs Su said that insurance agents and lawyers visited her home later that day to assist with funeral arrangements and helped notify private ride-hailing platform Grab of Su's death. «Afterwards, I saw a message on his phone informing him to pay the car rental and return the vehicle. But as I can't hear or speak clearly, I couldn't handle it immediately,» she added.

One of the first medical responders to Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 after it landed at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport has revealed that the cabins towards the rear of the plane sustained the worst damage. It was also where there were the most number of injured passengers, added the doctor, identified as Dr Wichanya. SQ321, bound for Singapore from London's Heathrow Airport on May 21, had experienced extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar. The pilot then made an emergency landing at the Bangkok airport. One passenger died and 104 people were injured. There were 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board. In an interview with Thai PBS and translated by 8world, Dr Wichanya stated that as part of the medical team stationed at Suvarnabhumi Airport, she was given the information that the plane would be landing in 30 minutes and that there were many injured passengers on board.

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Airlines (SIA) plane which experienced severe air turbulence on May 21, resulting in one death and several injuries, returned to Singapore on May 26, after being cleared for departure. In response to queries from The Straits Times, an SIA spokesperson said that the aircraft 9V-SWM, which is a Boeing 777-300ER, was flown back from Bangkok on May 26 and landed at 1.39pm. Said the spokesperson: “SIA obtained the necessary approvals from the relevant authorities in Singapore and Thailand, the investigators, and the aircraft manufacturer, and the aircraft was cleared by our Engineering and Flight Operations teams, before departure.” The spokesperson added that SIA is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities in the investigation into this incident. SQ321 had experienced turbulence on May 21 over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar, about 10 hours after leaving London for Singpaore. The pilot diverted the plane carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after declaring a medical emergency, before making an emergency landing at 3.45pm (4.45pm Singapore time).

SINGAPORE - Building strong family ties is a lifelong journey, and strategies and supportive workplace practices can create an environment where work and family goals can complement rather than be in conflict with each other, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on May 25. Calling the family unit the cornerstone and bedrock of Singapore society, he emphasised that government policies will continue to strengthen the role of families here, and help Singaporeans realise their hopes and dreams for their families. PM Wong was speaking as guest of honour at the launch of the National Family Festival (NFF) 2024 at Gardens by the Bay, organised by Families for Life (FFL). The event is being held in conjunction with the launch of Children's Festival. PM Wong cited the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests released in late April as an example of progress towards a work culture that supports both career and family. He said the aim is to foster a work culture that recognises and supports the whole person, not just as an employee.

For three days, a man who lived in the same flat as his father had no idea that the latter had died. The 41-year-old only made the grim discovery when he noticed a pungent smell emanating from his 63-year-old father's room on Thursday (May 23) afternoon, reported Shin Min Daily News. They live in a three-room flat at Block 109, Hougang Avenue 1. Riduan, who works as a cleaner, told the Chinese evening daily that his mother died last year. His father would typically stay in his room by himself with the door locked. «I last saw him at about 8pm on Monday when he came out to take some food before going back to his room. As my dad rarely leaves his room, I didn't notice anything amiss,» he explained. «My dad scolded me last time when I knocked on his door and told me not to disturb his sleep.» Riduan had just woken from a nap at around 4.40pm on Thursday when he noticed a foul stench. He initially thought his cat had died, but found it roaming in the living room.

SINGAPORE - Mr Russell Su was completing his night run in Queenstown on May 24 when he saw a bright blue streak of light dart through the sky. Mesmerised, he initially thought the flying object might be a drone that had caught fire and was about to crash. «It looked exactly like the comet in the viral videos from Portugal recently,» said the freelance model and actor, 21. «I've seen quite a few shooting stars in low-light situations… But nothing quite as spectacular and massive as this.»  A meteor lit up the skies in Singapore at about 11.50pm on May 24, leaving those who saw it in awe.  According to Nasa's website, a meteor is a rock that enters earth's atmosphere at high speed and burns up. Facebook user Priyanka Vijoy uploaded a video of the meteor onto the platform, describing the sighting as a «rare and thrilling experience». Yishun resident Akidah Selamat was preoccupied with her mobile phone in Yishun Central when she noticed the sky light up in her peripheral vision.  «I immediately looked up and saw a blazing object with a long tail flying across the sky,» said the 25-year-old quality control officer.

SINGAPORE – The number of people hospitalised for Covid-19 has increased to about 280 over the past week, said Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung, as he reiterated his call for the vulnerable to get an additional shot of the vaccine. To make it more convenient for vulnerable seniors to get their vaccinations, mobile Covid-19 vaccination teams will be deployed at selected heartland locations across the island from now until June 28. The number of Covid-19 hospitalisations has been increasing in recent weeks, with around 250 such cases for the week of May 5 to May 11, up from 181 the week before that. Speaking at the Kaki Bukit Health Fiesta on May 25, Mr Ong urged residents, especially seniors, to protect themselves by wearing masks or getting an additional dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. “Get your vaccination about once a year, especially if you’re older,” he said at the event held at Kaki Bukit Community Centre. This comes amid a wave of Covid-19 infections driven by the KP.1 and KP.2 sub-variants, which account for more than two-thirds of Covid-19 cases here.

On May 21, a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence before making an emergency landing in Bangkok. One passenger died and 30 were injured. An SIA plane was on the same route on May 23 and it, too, experienced turbulence as it was flying over Thailand. A passenger documented what happened onboard the plane and shared a clip of it on TikTok channel Looloopicks the following day.

In the first such case here, the police tapped into the infotainment system of a woman's car to extract data, which they then used to nab her for speeding. She was jailed for five days, and disqualified from driving for two years. The police's new vehicle forensics capability was revealed at the Police Workplan Seminar 2024 on May 24 at the Singapore University of Technology and Design in Upper Changi Road. The police said they are preparing to roll it out fully in 2024. The incident involving the speedster happened in 2022. The police's Cybercrime Command received a request from the Traffic Police in late 2022 to extract data from her vehicle's infotainment system, to investigate a possible speeding offence. Officers used the tool to extract datasets including call logs, messages and other data. The police said the data confirmed the woman's identity, and she was prosecuted based on the evidence gathered. She was convicted in January 2023. They declined to reveal further details, including the car's make and model.

A new inter-ministerial committee is looking at how to make Singapore's business regulations more business-friendly, particularly in reducing costs for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The inter-ministerial committee on Pro-Enterprise Rules Review, set up in April, is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong. The other members are Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam, National Development Minister Desmond Lee, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, and Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling. The committee will look into how to lower costs for businesses — particularly SMEs — when they transact with the government, Chee told reporters on Friday (May 24). This is especially because SMEs have cited business costs as a major challenge, he added. «The purpose is to engage different groups of businesses — including our trade associations — to understand some of the feedback, pain points and concerns that they face regarding government rules, regulations and processes,» he said.

A man was found dead in a shipping container at Mandai Foodlink after he went missing for days, Shin Min Daily News reported on Friday (May 24). The body of the 30-year-old was discovered at 11am on Wednesday at a third-floor unit of the industrial complex. Arriving at the scene at around 2pm, the Shin Min reporter noted that a large blue shipping container at the unit had been left open, with a pungent stench emanating from it. Officers were seen bagging evidence from the container, which included clothing. Speaking with Shin Min, an employee from a neighbouring unit said he was shocked to learn that a death had occurred so nearby. He added that the deceased was an employee of a middle-aged couple that operated a business selling alcohol products including wine, and had been working for about a year. «How could there be such a sudden death? I haven't smelled anything strange the past few days either,» he said. The dead man's employer — red-eyed and wearing a downcast expression — was also at scene speaking with police.

Several drivers got an unwanted 'paint job' on their vehicles when it suddenly started raining concrete. In a Facebook post on Thursday (May 23), user Nazrin Shah, who is one of the affected car owners, said the incident occurred at around 11.35am that day. He had left his car at an open car park at Block 959 Jurong West Street 91, near the construction site of Build-To-Order (BTO) project Nanyang Opal. The building works at Nanyang Opal are managed by Progressive Builders. Photos accompanying Nazrin's post showed three black cars sporting dots and splatters of grey and white concrete mix all over their exterior. Cracks, dents and holes could be seen on the windshields and roofs of the cars. The rear windscreen of one car was shattered. Nazrin added in the comment section that the wet concrete mix had also spilled on him. «Sunroof crack, my heart also crack,» he wrote. It is unclear which car Nazrin owns.

The Malaysian family of seven had joined a tour group on a 10-day UK trip and decided to extend their stay by five days. Little did they expect that they would end up getting injured on their return flight — the Singapore-bound SQ321, which suffered severe turbulence on May 21 and had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok.   Now, five of the family members are still warded at the Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in the Thai capital. The other two were treated at a different hospital and have since been discharged.  Eva Khoo, a family member who was not on the flight and flew to Bangkok after the incident, shared updates about their condition in a Facebook post on Thursday (May 23). She said four of her family members were in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), including her aunt and her brother's father-in-law. In a second Facebook post, she revealed that her sister-in-law, who is two months pregnant, suffered spinal injuries and had to face the dilemma of saving herself or her baby. 

SINGAPORE — Train service was disrupted along a stretch of six Downtown Line stations for more than an hour in the morning on May 24, after a locomotive carrying out maintenance works caught fire. In a Facebook post, rail operator SBS Transit (SBST) said the tracks between Fort Canning station and Mattar station were closed from the start of service until 7.26am, when train service resumed along the stretch again. SBST had activated bus bridging services between Chinatown station and Bedok North station during the disruption, and regular bus services along that stretch were made free. The operator also ran a shuttle train service between MacPherson and Bedok, and urged passengers to take other MRT lines to get around. At about 7.40am, station staff at MacPherson station were seen directing passengers exiting the Circle Line away from staircases leading to the Downtown Line platform for trains towards Expo. They were directed upstairs to take the bus services, and a few passengers ran in that direction. Staff allowed commuters to head to the Downtown Line platform at about 7.50am, after which train services resumed.

«She fell flat straight into the aisle and from that moment, she didn't move,» Australian passenger Keith Davis recalled of his wife on board SQ321. «That's where she remained for the rest of the flight. It was really horrifying.» Davis, in an interview with ABC News on Friday (May 24), described how his wife had no sensation from her waist down after the severe turbulence of Singapore Airlines (SIA) Flight SQ321 on Tuesday (May 21). «It was absolute instant, we're on the ceiling… there's no announcement, we did not see any indication at all,» the 59-year-old said. «We just fell into a huge hole, and we're freefalling.» While he hit the ceiling above his seat when the turbulence happened, his wife Kerry Jordan collided with the luggage doors and landed in the aisle instead of the seat area, he said. She stayed on the aisle for the rest of the flight, unable to move, Davis recounted.

SINGAPORE — In-flight meal services will now be suspended when the seat-belt sign lights up on a Singapore Airlines plane as part of efforts to take a more cautious approach to managing turbulence in the air. Cabin crew will also sit down and fasten their seat belts when the seat-belt sign is lit, SIA said on May 23 in response to queries. But unlike in the past — when only hot drinks would be cut off during turbulence — the new measures would require all meal and drink services to stop when the ride gets bumpy. Other existing safety measures that kick in during poor weather conditions will remain in place. These include getting crew members to secure loose items in the cabin, advising passengers to return to their seats and buckle up, and monitoring passengers who may need assistance, such as those in the toilet. A spokesman for the carrier said: «SIA will continue to review our processes as the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance.»

SINGAPORE – A Malaysian woman who swopped two digits on her motorcycle licence plate to avoid Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on May 10. Over four months in 2019 and 2020, Deivanai Karunanithi, 28, committed 68 ERP-related offences and five illegal parking offences with the altered plate. She failed to fit an in-vehicle unit on her motorcycle, which is compulsory for foreign-registered motorcycles. However, the ERP violations were not picked up as cameras captured the false rear licence plate. Deivanai is the first person to be convicted over the use of a foreign-registered vehicle affixed with false licence plates for purposes of evading detection of unlawful activity.   She pleaded guilty to 14 charges of failing to ensure that the identification mark of a vehicle was correctly exhibited at the back of her vehicle. She received a week’s jail sentence for each charge, with the court ordering three of the sentences to run consecutively.

BANGKOK – Twenty people who were aboard a Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence and diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing on May 21 remain in intensive care, a hospital official has said. “The number of patients in ICU remains the same,” Dr Adinun Kittiratanapaibool, director of Bangkok’s Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital told reporters on May 23, referring to the medical facility’s intensive care unit. “Those in ICU are those that need close attention,” he said, and added that currently there were no life-threatening cases. Of the 40 people from the flight still under treatment, 22 patients have spinal cord injuries and six have brain and skull injuries, he said. The oldest patient at the hospital is 83 years old and the youngest a two-year-old child who suffered a concussion, he added. Dr Adinun had said 41 people were still under treatment, but later said one person had been discharged. Ten British, nine Australian, seven Malaysian and four Philippine citizens were among the 41 people, according to him. He did not provide any breakdown of passengers and crew under treatment.

SINGAPORE — One worker has died after inhaling a poisonous gas while carrying out routine tank cleaning at the PUB Choa Chu Kang Waterworks on May 23. The worker was one of three who had collapsed and were found unconscious at the plant at around 11.15am. All three were taken to hospital, where the worker died. The two surviving workers are in the intensive care unit at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. In a statement, PUB said early investigations suggest that the workers had inhaled hydrogen sulphide, a gas produced from sludge which is a by-product of the water treatment process.  According to the US' National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, hydrogen sulphide is a colourless gas that gives off the odour of rotten eggs. Exposure to the gas can cause irritation to the eyes and respiratory system, among other effects, one of which includes falling into a coma. Workers in wastewater treatment industries are labelled as a group at risk by the institute. The PUB said that it has called a safety timeout for similar operations in confined spaces and is reviewing the associated safety measures.

A car mechanic was left with injuries on his head, arm and knee after a vehicle crashed into a lorry that he was repairing along the BKE on Monday (May 20).  The mechanic, surnamed Ji, told Shin Min Daily News that he was called down to repair a white Malaysian-registered lorry which broke down after the Woodlands Ave 3 exit. He arrived at about 4pm.  «I was repairing the lorry for about 30 minutes when the accident happened. I heard a loud bang, and I saw that a green lorry had crashed into the white lorry. I got a shock,» the 24-year-old told the Chinese daily.  At that point, he was fixing something underneath the white lorry and the impact sent him flying. «I was scared to death,» he said.  Ji recounted that the driver of the white lorry was standing next to his vehicle watching the repairs when the accident happened. The impact of the crash sent that driver flying underneath the lorry.  «He was seriously injured and suffered some fractures, but luckily he was still conscious.»  The lorry driver later had to undergo surgery, reported Shin Min.