Singapore – Five people were killed in a car crash along Tanjong Pagar Road on Saturday (Feb 13), causing a stir among the online community.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force was alerted to a fire along 37 Tanjong Pagar Road at about 5:40 am.
The incident began with a roar of car engines ten minutes before a loud crash, reported straitstimes.com quoting eyewitnesses. They mentioned a white BMW had burst into flames after crashing into a vacant shophouse previously occupied by Five Oars Coffee Roasters.
A man was later seen crying hysterically while witnessing the accident and begging for his friends to be rescued from the vehicle. At 7:30 am, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced road closures on Tanjong Pagar Road (towards Murray Street) after Maxwell Road.
According to straitstimes.com, the next-of-kin of the vehicle’s occupants were spotted at the scene at 10:30 am, tasked with identifying the bodies of the five killed in the accident. There were also two police hearses at the crash site.
Preliminary investigations revealed a 29-year-old man was behind the wheel. He was accompanied by four male passengers aged 26 to 29.
A 26-year-old woman who is reported to be acquainted with the driver tried to help the five men after the accident but suffered severe burns in the process. She was later conveyed to the Singapore General Hospital for medical assistance, said a police spokesman.
Police investigations are ongoing.
A video of the white vehicle speeding along before crashing was uploaded by Facebook page ROADS.sg on Saturday afternoon. “Car was indeed travelling at too great a speed to hold traction especially with the excess weight of five persons in the car,” the post noted.
The news sparked numerous comments among the online community, with many expressing concern over the increase in similar careless behaviour.
Former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng also took to Facebook to share the incident. “It seems that the driver of the BMW that crashed and burst into flames in Singapore this morning, is guilty of multiple homicides from reckless speeding,” he said in the post.
Mr Cheng also referred to the individuals recording the incident, with one positioned low on the roadside, camera ready to capture the passing vehicle.
“If it’s their friends filming them on the roadside, all should be investigated too,” he noted./TISG
Read related: Speeding cyclist crashes into van, ends up with bloodied face
Speeding cyclist crashes into van, ends up with bloodied face