Construction Workers Rescue Woman After Car Falls Into Sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road

SINGAPORE: A group of quick-thinking construction workers rescued a woman after her car plunged into a sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road South on Saturday evening (July 26).

The incident occurred at around 5.50pm near the One Amber condominium, adjacent to a PUB worksite where sewerage works were being carried out. The sinkhole caused two lanes of the road to collapse, startling workers and nearby residents.

Foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, 46, who has worked in Singapore for 22 years, recalled the dramatic rescue. “There was one car, and one woman was inside the car. I was thinking, ‘Somebody fell inside, I want to help,’” he told reporters during an interview on Sunday.

Acting swiftly, Subbiah instructed three of his colleagues to throw a nylon rope to the woman so they could pull her to safety. “One of my workers wanted to go down and help her, but I said they wouldn’t be able to climb out. So I told them to throw the rope first,” he explained.

The rescue effort took about three to five minutes. “Someone had fallen in. We were just determined to save her as fast as possible. That was the goal,” said Subbiah, speaking in Tamil.

According to residents, a burst water pipe had been reported in the area the night before the sinkhole appeared. The hole later filled with water, but was dry at the time of the rescue.

After pulling the woman out, workers asked if anyone else was in the vehicle. She told them her identity card and phone were inside. Subbiah lent her his phone so she could contact her daughter. “We saved a life… whatever happens, that is all that matters,” he said.

The woman was later taken to hospital by the Singapore Civil Defence Force. PUB confirmed in a Facebook statement on Sunday that she was able to walk and is undergoing further medical checks.

Mountbatten MP Goh Sze Kee, who visited the site on Sunday morning, said the driver remains in hospital for observation and is experiencing muscular pain.

Videos circulating on social media showed workers placing barricades around the sinkhole shortly after the rescue.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the road collapse.