SCDF rescues stall owner whose hand was trapped in sugarcane press at Alexandra Village Food Centre
A juice stall owner at Alexandra Village Food Centre was taken to hospital after his right hand became trapped in a sugarcane press machine while he was working on Monday evening (9 March).
The man was reportedly stuck for about two hours before Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rescuers and medical personnel from the National University Hospital (NUH) helped free his hand and conveyed him to hospital.
Hand trapped in machine for about two hours
According to Lianhe Zaobao, the incident occurred at around 8.45pm.
The stall owner was believed to have been preparing a sugarcane drink when his right hand was accidentally caught in the press machine.
Source: BGStock72 on Canva, for illustration purposes only
When reporters from the Chinese daily arrived at about 10.15pm, rescue efforts were still ongoing.
More than a dozen SCDF personnel had gathered around the juice stall and were using various tools to extricate the man’s hand.
At least three SCDF vehicles and a police car were parked nearby, including a Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) vehicle.
Source: Singapore Civil Defence Force on Facebook, for illustration purposes only
The rescue operation concluded at about 10.45pm.
An elderly man with greying hair, wearing a floral shirt, was assisted by medical staff and placed on a stretcher before being taken to hospital.
Observers noted that his right ring finger and little finger were bandaged, and he appeared weak and in visible pain.
Family members distraught at scene
Four relatives of the stall owner were present during the rescue and sat on chairs in front of the stall while operations were underway.
A woman believed to be the man’s wife and a younger man appeared visibly distressed, occasionally covering their eyes and wiping away tears.
A bak kut teh stall owner at the hawker centre, who declined to be named, told Lianhe Zaobao that the injured stall owner is in his 60s and has operated the stall at Alexandra Village for more than 10 years.
Source: @mdm_chiu on Instagram, for illustration purposes only
She said the food centre was already relatively quiet when the incident occurred, with only two or three customers queuing at the juice stall.
The stallholder added that she did not hear any cries for help and only realised something had happened when police and SCDF officers arrived at the scene.
Queenstown Member of Parliament (MP) Eric Chua also arrived at about 11pm to offer support to the injured man’s family. He stayed for around 15 minutes before leaving.
DART specialists and NUH medical team assisted in rescue
In response to MS News’ queries, SCDF said it received a call for assistance at 120 Bukit Merah Lane 1 at about 9pm on 9 March.
Firefighters and rescue specialists from DART worked together with an SCDF paramedic to free the man’s right hand from the sugarcane machine.
The paramedic administered pain relief and monitored the man’s vital signs throughout the rescue operation.
An NUH emergency medical team was also deployed to the scene to provide medical support.
After his hand was successfully released, the man was conveyed to NUH for further treatment.
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Featured image adapted from @mdm_chiu on Instagram and BGStock72 on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
