Those with a fear of being trapped – especially in small spaces – would not want to find themselves in this man’s recent situation.
On Saturday (3 Sep), 63-year-old Mr Huang went to take a shower in the toilet of his Bukit Panjang HDB flat, which had just undergone the Home Improvement Programme (HIP).
To his horror, he was unable to open the door after he was done as the lock had jammed.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
Mr Huang was only able to break out two hours later using a screwdriver.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Mr Huang shared that the toilet in his Block 270 Bangkit Road unit had just gotten an upgrade under the HIP.
The HIP is a heavily subsidised home upgrading government programme for selected HDB flats above a certain age.
Renovation works took place from 26 Aug to 2 Sep, after which Mr Huang and his family moved back in.
Source: Google Maps
At around 1am on Saturday (3 Sep), Mr Huang entered the toilet in the kitchen to take a shower.
When he was done, he tried to open the door to leave but found that he could not as the lock would not budge.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Mr Huang explained that his toilet has a folding door, and the locking mechanism on top had somehow gotten jammed.
Hoping to get his wife’s attention, he started banging on the door. She only heard him after an hour as she had been watching TV in their room.
They tried all sorts of ways to try and break the door open. It took another hour before Mr Huang managed to pry open a gap in the door with a screwdriver.
Together with his wife, they continued pushing and pulling.
They eventually managed to tear the door off the rails, freeing Mr Huang from his two-hour ordeal.
Thanks to the incident, Mr Huang’s wife no longer dares to lock the door while using the toilet.
Since the toilet upgrade was part of the HIP, he decided to contact the authorities, who agreed to replace the door.
When he said that he hoped to get a different kind of door, he was told that the HIP package only includes one type.
If he wants another design, he would have to get someone else to do it at his own expense.
Worried that history might repeat itself, especially with his 91-year-old mother in the flat, Mr Huang shared that he is willing to fork out money for a better lock.
He has been making enquiries with various companies and learned that he would need to spend around S$400 to replace the door.
Mr Huang is also currently discussing with the authorities to come up with a solution.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook & Shin Min Daily News.
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