Casket falls onto road after supporting pole breaks during funeral procession on Jalan Batu
Relatives of a deceased individual were conducting the pallbearing ceremony along Jalan Batu when the casket suddenly dropped onto the road.
It turns out that one of the supporting poles had given way, causing the casket — which weighed more than 100kg — to fall.
@pangco6
Fortunately, it remained intact and was later loaded onto a hearse without further incident.
Casket falls after poles give way during pallbearing ceremony
Earlier this week, footage of the incident made its way to TikTok.
The clip shows a funeral procession taking place on a road, led by a hearse and several individuals in white.
According to 8world News, which received footage from an unnamed source, the incident happened along Jalan Batu on Wednesday (27 March).
Following behind the hearse were several pallbearers carrying a casket atop a pole structure.
Source: @pangco6 on TikTok
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until the front of the pole structure collapsed without warning, causing the casket to tip onto the road.
This shocked the pallbearers and the person behind the camera.
Source: @pangco6 on TikTok
Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be anyone standing in front of the heavy casket when it fell.
Relatives do not blame funeral service company for mishap
Alliance Casket & Funerals, the funeral service company that organised the wake, told 8world News that the family members did not blame them for the incident, which was purely an accident.
The owner also clarified that the individuals carrying the casket were relatives and friends of the deceased, not employees of the company.
Based on his understanding, the accident occurred after one of the supporting poles gave way.
He, however, did not explain how the pole could have broken.
Miraculously, the casket, which weighed more than 100kg, remained intact despite the fall and did not have any cracks.
It was loaded onto a hearse after the ceremony.
An experienced individual in the funeral industry told 8world News that such incidents are extremely rare.
In fact, this was the first time he had heard of a casket falling in Singapore.
He speculated that the incident happened due to the “poor quality” of the wood used to construct the poles.
As for the procedures after such an unfortunate incident, the expert said the funeral service company could give the bereaved an auspicious angbao of S$388 or S$688.
Alternatively, the company may engage a Taoist priest to assist the deceased in having a “smooth journey”.
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Featured image adapted from @pangco6 on TikTok.
