SINGAPORE: One person died and 16 were injured after a bus collided into a railing near Tuas Checkpoint as it was travelling from Malaysia to Singapore early on Tuesday morning (Feb 26).
Two of the passengers on the bus, both women, were found at the foot of a flyover connecting to the checkpoint, according to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). One woman, a 35-year-old, was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was seriously injured.
The bus driver was trapped in his seat and had to be rescued using hydraulic equipment, SCDF added.
Some of the passengers on the bus work for HP, the technology company said, but declined to give specifics or provide more details.
“Our thoughts are with those that were involved and are doing everything we can to provide assistance to affected employees. We are concurrently working with the authorities to get more information,” HP said in response to queries from Channel NewsAsia.
The heavy vehicle lane heading towards Singapore was closed for more than four hours after the accident. Buses and lorries were diverted back to Malaysia, ICA added.
The heavy vehicle lane at Tuas Checkpoint was closed after an accident involving a bus on Feb 26, 2019. (Photo: Facebook/William Mah)
SCDF said it responded to the accident at 501 Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim at 4.25am.
It initially said the 16 injured were taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and National University Hospital, but later revised the number to 12, including the bus driver.
Four passengers on the bus had minor injuries and declined to be taken to hospital, SCDF said.
ICA first alerted motorists to the accident in a Facebook post at 5.20am. It said buses and lorries were unable to enter the checkpoint at arrival, and advised motorists to use Woodlands Checkpoint instead.
Police and SCDF officers were at the scene, it added.
Photos posted online by Facebook users showed barricades blocking the heavy vehicle lane.
Barricades put up at the heavy vehicle lane at the Tuas Checkpoint after an accident involving a bus on Feb 26, 2019. (Photo: Facebook/William Mah)
In an update on its Facebook page just before 7am, ICA said traffic for arriving and departing cars and motorcycles had returned to normal.
At 10am, ICA said it reopened the heavy vehicle lane for arriving buses and lorries. However, traffic heading towards Singapore was still heavy due to the morning peak period, it said.
“Travellers are advised to check One Motoring website before embarking on their journey,” it added.
Police investigations are ongoing.
