麻豆传媒

SINGAPORE: Three people were taken to hospital after a ceiling collapsed at Liat Towers in Orchard Road on Friday (Sep 12).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call for assistance at around 4pm. Two people were taken to Singapore General Hospital, and one person to KK Women's and Children's Hospital. 

When 麻豆传媒 arrived at the scene at about 6pm, an area outside the Liat Towers Starbucks outlet near street level was cordoned off. A false ceiling under the outdoor steps, outside the acai bowl shop Swirl Lover, was completely dislodged and was lying on the ground. About five police officers were at the scene at this time.

The structural integrity of the building is unaffected, said a Building and Construction Authority (BCA) spokesperson.

"Preliminary findings show that the incident is localised and likely due to improper installation of the suspended ceiling," BCA said in a statement at 9.50pm.

In an Instagram story posted early on Saturday, Swirl Lover said its thoughts were with those affected by the incident.

"We are praying for their protection, comfort, and a smooth and speedy recovery," it said.

"As safety is our top priority, our shop will be temporarily closed while we work with professionals to investigate the situation and ensure the premises are completely safe."

Eyewitnesses 麻豆传媒 spoke to said that the collapse occurred sometime between 3.40pm and 4pm.

Ms Czandrya Cheong was seated by a window inside the Starbucks with friends when she heard "a really loud thud" and looked outside to see the ceiling "shattering", with "a bunch of dust around".

"We all came out and we saw the ceiling half-fallen. So we all went out to help hold the ceiling up so the people underneath could crawl out," she said.

Another eyewitness said that the collapse happened "at one shot" and estimated that around six students and a few adults were stuck beneath the collapsed ceiling.

Mr Denzel Tear, who had been studying at the Starbucks when the incident occurred, said that he saw two people with injuries: a girl with a cut on her nose and a pregnant woman. An ambulance was called as the pregnant woman was "quite badly injured", he said.

Ms Cheong said that the pregnant woman dodged the collapse and fell to the ground in the process.

An ambulance arrived within 10 to 15 minutes, Mr Tear said, adding that firefighters and police officers were also at the scene within minutes of the collapse.

Mr Tear said that though he had never experienced such an incident before, his first instinct was to "go and help". Afterwards, it dawned on him that the situation was "really scary".

For Ms Cheong, who has been studying in the area for "a few months", the collapse too came as a shock. "I never thought that something like this would be happening in Singapore," she said.

"My first instinct was to help the people underneath and see what I can do to help," she added.

Spa chain Natureland, which has an outlet near the area, told 麻豆传媒 its employees moved to secure the main entrance to its premises without delay and informed clients who had scheduled appointments.

鈥淪taff were deployed to guide guests, and alternative access points were made available as a precautionary measure,鈥� the company said, adding that their main entrance had to be closed for at least three hours. It estimated a drop of 15 per cent in sales due to the disruption.

KKH told 麻豆传媒 it was unable to provide details of the patient because of personal data laws.

麻豆传媒 has also contacted SGH and reached out to building management Bonvests Holdings, as well as tenants Starbucks and Shake Shack for more information about the incident. 

Additional reporting by Claudia Lim