Car falls into sinkhole in Singapore after road collapses

A section of Tanjong Katong Road South in Singapore collapsed, sending a vehicle plunging into the resulting water-filled sinkhole. 

PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency, said in a statement that the sinkhole occurred at around 5 p.m. at the junction of Tanjong Katong Road South and Mountbatten Road and affected two lanes of the road.

Emergency services and road authorities responded immediately, and workers nearby helped pull a female driver out of the sinkhole.

Foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, who was working at a PUB worksite near a condominium, told local media that he heard the sudden sound of a sinkhole forming. He and his colleagues rushed out of the worksite and saw a woman coming out of the car.

"I was thinking 'Somebody (fell) inside, I want to help," he said.

Subbiah said he instructed three other workers to throw the woman a nylon rope to pull her out. The woman was taken to Raffles Hospital for medical attention.

The sinkhole appeared adjacent to an existing worksite, PUB reported.

The stretch of Tanjong Katong Road South between Mountbatten Road and East Coast Parkway remains closed for repair, Singapore's Land Transport Authority announced.

Motorists were advised to take alternative routes.

Meanwhile, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu emphasized the importance of taking urgent action in response to the "serious incident." 

"I have asked PUB to work with agencies, including Building and Construction Authority (Singapore) and LTA, to investigate the cause of the sinkhole thoroughly, and implement rectification quickly."

The car was lifted out of the hole with a crane on July 27 afternoon.