3 migrant workers die after 10 injured in Tuas industrial building blast

Singapore – Three of the 10 workers injured in an explosion at an industrial building in Tuas on Wednesday (Feb 24) died on Thursday.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to a fire at No. 32E Tuas Avenue 11 at around 11:25 am on Wednesday.

About 65 individuals from neighbouring units were evacuated before the SCDF arrived. Eight workers with burn injuries were conveyed to the Singapore General Hospital while another two were taken to the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital by their employer.

Officers discovered the fire involved an industrial mixer in the affected unit. Investigations are ongoing as to the cause of the fire.

The Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) took to Facebook on Thursday (Feb 25) to provide an update on the incident. It has contacted the two employers whose migrant workers were involved in the incident.

One employer informed the MWC that two of their workers sustained only minor injuries.

Another employer told the MWC that eight of their injured workers were receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Three of them later succumbed to their injuries, said the MWC>

“As a result of the incident, the on-site accommodation for these migrant workers is no longer safe, and we have availed our emergency housing support to the employers if they are unable to relocate their workers within such a short period of time,” said the MWC.

The workers were visited by MWC Executive Director Bernard Menon, together with NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong and Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees Union (BATU) Executive Secretary Zainal Sapari, the MWC said in another Facebook post on Thursday evening.

“Apart from updating them on the medical conditions of their fellow co-workers, we also took the opportunity to provide them with some essential items and daily necessities, seeing how their personal belongings might have been destroyed in the fire.”

The workers were assured that the MWC and BATU would continue providing them with the necessary support. With the help of HealthServe, counselling services would be extended to the affected workers as needed.

“In the interim, we have put together a token sum for the deceased’s family. Where necessary, the MWC will also help to supplement this token to ensure that the needs of the families are met as they await compensation from WICA (Work Injury Compensation Act),” said the MWC.

“We understand that burn victims often go through a long recovery process. The MWC and BATU stand ready to support the five injured workers through the recovery process and ensure that they are able to get back up on their feet.”

The MWC, a non-governmental organisation, is is a bipartite initiative of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore National Employers’ Federation (SNEF). /TISG

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