MINDEF tank clips lamp post near Parliament House; no injuries reported

SINGAPORE: A Ministry of Defence tank struck a street lamp while making a turn onto North Bridge Road on Saturday evening (5 July), causing minor damage to the lamp post but no injuries.

According to a video posted by SG Road Vigilante on Facebook, the armoured vehicle was turning right in front of Parliament House when it clipped the roadside lamp post at about 7:22pm. The impact caused the lamp post to tilt slightly.

The video shows the tank pausing momentarily after the collision before reversing safely and moving away from the area. Several personnel were seen on site checking the scene shortly afterwards.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson has since confirmed that the tank had been participating in a mobile unit display at an event and had been making its way back to its base when the incident took place.

The spokesperson said the incident was caused by a mechanical failure as the vehicle navigated the turn.

“At the time of the incident, the tank was travelling at approximately 20 kilometres per hour, which was within the permitted range,” the spokesperson said. “The driver responded in accordance with standard operating procedures.”

The ministry added that the tank remained within a designated cordoned area and was kept clear of public pedestrian zones throughout the incident. No damage was reported to the vehicle itself, and it was recovered without further issue.

“No one was injured in the accident,” the spokesperson shared.

MINDEF worked with the Land Transport Authority to carry out repairs on the lamp post, which sustained minor damage.