Elderly man’s arm stuck in kitchen pipe for two hours, neighbours saw his fingers through their ceiling

SINGAPORE: The entire left arm of an elderly resident was stuck in the drainpipe of his kitchen sink, prompting the authorities to dismantle the cabinets and sink, and even needed to go to the downstairs unit to cut a part of the water pipe to rescue him.

According to the residents living downstairs, they saw how the man’s fingers were still stuck in the pipe. After a two-hour rescue operation, the man was fortunately rescued by the Singapore Civil Defence Force. 

When Shin Min Daily News went to visit the apartment where the accident happened, a woman declined to be interviewed. It was discovered that the unit was occupied by a family of four, including an elderly couple, their son, and their daughter-in-law. 

The 77-year-old downstairs neighbour shared that he was watching TV when police suddenly knocked on his door, stating that they needed to cut the drainpipe. The neighbour’s maid said that the authorities removed the cabinet food near the ceiling in the kitchen and proceeded with the cutting.

“After they sawed open the pipe, I saw fingers inside. The civil defence personnel called to the person above the pipe to carefully pull their hand out.” 

Furthermore, she pointed out that there was a spoon left behind in their kitchen sink, which did not belong to them. She suspected that the spoon had fallen down after the pipe was cut open. 

The man remained conscious throughout the rescue, and the rescuers used a lubricant to help the man pull his arm out. A medical team also arrived in the unit to provide assistance. 

After the rescue, the family living upstairs apologised, and the downstairs neighbour admitted that as long as someone repairs the damage, they will not pursue more about the matter further. 

“As long as I don’t have to pay for it, there’s no problem,” the neighbour declared. 

In similar HDB news, a man complained that his toilet ceiling has been damp and peeling for a long time, and that even “stalactites” have grown on it. He suspected that this issue was due to inadequate waterproofing after the renovations of the upstairs unit a few years back, and it had sparked safety issues for the resident. 

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