Elderly Hoarder Dies In Bedok Flat, Police Had To Remove 10 Carts Of Rubbish To Get To His Body

Elderly Man Dies In Bedok North ‘Rubbish Flat’

Hoarding has become one of the most frequent habits among the elderly generation.

Especially when most things — even those that seem worthless to us — hold a sentimental value to these elderly. But what happens when hoarding gets out of hand?

A flat in Bedok North reportedly had rubbish filled all the way up to the ceiling, hindering authorities when they needed to enter the flat.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, an elderly man died in his flat at Bedok North on 28 Sep at around 9.17pm.

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His flat was filled with so much rubbish that the investigators had to remove more than 10 carts worth before being able to move the corpse out.

Flat filled with rubbish all the way to the ceiling

On 28 Sep, the police were alerted that an elderly man who, according to other residents, lived alone in his flat at Blk 519 Bedok North Ave 1. Neighbours noticed that he had not been seen for 2 weeks and that there was a stench from within the house. That was when they alerted the authorities.

However, because the flat was filled with so much rubbish, the investigators could not enter the house to locate the man.

When the Lianhe Zaobao reporter arrived at the flat, a strong stench struck his nose. He saw piles of garbage in the flat from the floor all the way to the ceiling.

Here’s a picture taken by the reporter.

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In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, a neighbour shared that when the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived, they pried open the door, but were stopped in their tracks by heaps of rubbish.

A few moments later, cleaners from the town council appeared at the scene to clear the garbage.

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10 carts of rubbish were removed

In about 2 hours, the cleaners were able to remove more than 10 rubbish carts worth of junk from the elderly man’s apartment.

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Only then could the investigators finally enter the apartment to remove the body.

Lianhe Zaobao also shared that the reporter noticed many “plastic boxes, plastic bags, paper suitcases, and various types of furniture” in the flat.

The police are still investigating the cause of his death. It is not known if the deceased has any family members and relatives.

Hoarding is a real and serious problem

According to a study conducted by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), 1 in 50 Singaporeans will display hoarding behaviour in their lifetime.

Hoarding is dangerous for a number of reasons. For example, hoarded items could pose as fire hazards or breeding nests for bacteria.

Feature image adapted from China Press and Google Maps.