SINGAPORE – A navy personnel was killed after he lost control of the SUV that he was driving and crashed it into a tree.
The fatal acident occurred at about 6.30am on Friday (July 29) along Changi Coast Road in the direction towards Nicoll Drive.
Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao reported that the driver was 21-year-old Yukio Matsuo. After the crash, he was trapped in the driver’s seat of the vehicle.
He was unconscious as SCDF officers worked to extricate him from the wreckage with hydraulic rescue tools.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Matsuo, whose father is Japanese and mother a Singaporean, was believed to have been driving his mother’s car.
Lianhe Wanbao, Facebook screengrabs
He had previously studied Marine and Offshore Technology and Ngee Ann Polytechnic, and begun working with the Republic of Singapore Navy last April, according to his Facebook page.
Five other passengers, who were in their 20s and 30s, were also injured in the accident.
According to Lianhe Wanbao, two of the five suffered severe injuries and were unconscious as they were conveyed to Changi General Hospital.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the accident at 6.35am. It dispatched one fire engine, one red rhino, five ambulances and two support vehicles to the scene.
When contacted, a police spokesperson confirmed the incident, and said that investigations were ongoing.
seanyap@sph.com.sg
