Drain Cover In Punggol Breaks As Man Walks Over It, He Falls 1.8m Into Hole

Man Suffers Injuries After He Falls Into Drain Outside Northshore Plaza

As unremarkable as drains are, they’ve actually been known to cause quite a few accidents.

In the latest case, a 36-year-old man fell into a 1.8m-deep drain outside Northshore Plaza on Saturday (1 Apr) after the drain cover suddenly broke.

He suffered a waist injury and scratches to his knees and ankles due to the fall.

Man falls into drain outside Northshore Plaza after it broke

According to Shin Min Daily News, Mr Xu (transliterated from Mandarin) was at the playground outside Northshore Plaza with his children at about 12pm last Saturday (1 Apr).

As the children were playing, the 36-year-old accountant walked across concrete drain covers to throw some rubbish.

To his surprise, one of the drain covers he stepped on suddenly gave way and he fell into the ditch.

Mr Xu is 1.8m tall and almost his entire body was inside the ditch, suggesting just how deep it was.

He described the experience as “shocking” and compared it to a free-fall attraction at a water park.

Two strangers pull him out of drain

Fortunately, Mr Xu had quick reflexes and was able to break his fall with his hands, preventing more serious injuries.

Passers-by also immediately stepped forward to help, and two men managed to pull him out of the drain.

One offered to help call for an ambulance, but Mr Xu refused as he was afraid it might scare his children.

Mr Xu later notified the shopping mall management and warned others to be careful not to fall into the ditch.

The drain has since been cordoned off, with signages in place to caution passers-by of the gaping hole left behind.

Suffers from waist injury, scratches to knees &ankles

Mr Xu told Shin Min Daily News that he suffered an injury to his waist, as well as superficial scratches on his knees and ankles.

He expressed concern that the situation could’ve been direr if an elderly person or child was in his position.

This was especially risky as the drain he fell into was located rather close to the playground where many kids were running around.

There were also multiple skateboarders in the area.

That said, do be careful when walking and keep your eyes peeled for potential safety hazards.

We wish Mr Xu a speedy recovery and hope he will be back in the pink of health soon.

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.