A motorcycle was seriously damaged in Farrer Park when part of the roof of a nearby apartment building fell on it, splitting its seat in half.
The incident took place on Friday (19 July), at the building on the junction of Rangoon Road and Dorset Road, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
It also caused a few roads in the area to be closed off for about 10 hours.
Eyewitness Deng Haixing (transliterated into Mandarin), 64, told Shin Min that mortar fell from the roof of the five-storey building at about 9am that morning.
Thankfully, no one was on the sidewalk below at the time, or they would surely have been killed, the retiree said.
The detachment of part of the building’s roof caused the white paint underneath to be exposed.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
It was also observed that about a dozen workers were working on the second floor of the building at the time.
A worker who declined to be named told the paper that they didn’t hear the noise as they were working at the back of the apartment at the time.
While no one was injured, two motorcycles were parked in roadside parking spaces at the foot of the building.
The rubble fell on one of them, causing it to fall to the ground. Its seat was split in half and its body was twisted.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The owner, a 53-year-old equipment store clerk, also told Shin Min that its engine couldn’t start.
He had bought the motorcycle secondhand just seven months ago for S$18,000, to be paid in instalments, he said.
He has contacted the building’s owner, who will take up the matter with their insurance provider.
As a precautionary measure in case more mortar fell, roads within 30m of the building were cordoned off by the police.
The road closure was lifted only at 8pm that night — after some 10 hours.
This affected the business of six or seven shops in the area. A durian shop at the corner said their customers had to make a detour to get to their shop or give up entirely as they couldn’t find a parking space.
While their durians typically sell out by 2pm or 3pm, there were still some left unsold by evening, the person-in-charge added.
The owner of a liquor supply store said the road in front of his store was blocked, so lorries couldn’t access to collect and drop off goods.
They had to go round to his back door, costing them extra time.
In response to Shin Min’s enquiries, a Building and Construction Authority (BCA) spokesperson said that they were alerted by the police that morning that protective mortar had become dislodged from a recently completed residential building along Rangoon Road.
BCA engineers found that the mortar that fell off was an architectural finish of the slanted roof, a non-structural component.
After an assessment by the structural Qualified Person (QP) of the project, it was confirmed that the building poses no safety concern. BCA concurred with his assessment.
As a precautionary measure, the authorities have instructed the builder to remove any remaining protective mortar on the roof, and have a QP further investigate the cause of the incident.
The building obtained its Temporary Occupation Permit on 20 June, but hasn’t obtained a Certificate of Statutory Completion, BCA added.
Also read: Man’s skull cracks after metal rod from Bukit Panjang HDB rooftop falls on him, contractor arrested
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
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