In the early hours of Tuesday (Oct 8), two two-storey shophouse units in Syed Alwi Road partially collapsed, resulting in six injuries. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) posted on Facebook that the incident occurred at 84 and 85 Syed Alwi Road in the Little India district following a loud blast. SCDF immediately sprang into action, deploying search dogs and a drone to aid in the search operation. They reported, “Firefighters rescued a person from the second floor of the affected shophouse unit at 84 Syed Alwi Road using a ladder, as the person was unable to evacuate due to a blocked staircase.” As a precautionary measure, a firefighting machine was utilized to disperse any potential flammable gases specifically.
Upon arrival at the scene, Google Maps data revealed that 84 Syed Alwi Road houses the vegetarian restaurant, Paakashala Singapore, while No. 85 is home to Nirja Mega Mart. Paramedics evaluated two individuals for minor injuries and transported them to the hospital, while four others declined hospitalization despite minor injuries.
Mdm Yeow Noy Kee, a resident of a nearby HDB block, recalled the moment of the incident: “I got a shock, I thought it might have been an explosion but I couldn’t see anything. There was no fire or anything.” The Indian vegetarian restaurant Paakashala faced significant devastation, with visible wires hanging from the ceiling, and the outdoor tent being distorted. Mr Jayarama, a worker at restaurant Sakunthala’s shared his account: “People came out to see what had happened because the noise was so loud but when I looked, I couldn’t see anything. I don’t know what happened.”
The scene at 84 and 85 Syed Alwi Road was heavily monitored, with cordons in place to restrict access to the affected area. Member of Parliament Denise Phua (PAP-Jalan Besar) inspected the damage along with SCDF personnel.
The article was updated to clarify that the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has suspected that the cause of the incident was a gas explosion.
