SINGAPORE: A gas explosion earlier on Tuesday (Oct 8) was to blame for the collapse of two shophouses along Syed Alwi Road, said the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).
“BCA was alerted to a gas explosion incident where two 2-storey shophouse units at 84 & 85 Syed Alwi Road had partially collapsed,” it said in a Facebook post.
BCA deployed engineers to assess the structural integrity of the shophouse units and the adjacent buildings after the incident.
“The rear part of the two shophouse units have partially collapsed,” it said.
“The front facade and staircase of unit 84 were also damaged by the explosion. The other adjacent buildings were not affected by the explosion and are safe.”
BCA said its engineers have instructed the owners to put in place immediate safety measures to cordon off the two units from public access.
It also served a Dangerous Building Order and Closure Order to the respective owners of the two shophouse units to close off the buildings.
“They are also required to immediately appoint a professional engineer to advise on the immediate precautionary measures to obviate the danger, carry out detailed investigations and recommend permanent rectification measures to be carried out,” said BCA.
Member of Parliament Denise Phua (PAP-Jalan Besar) visited the scene following the incident.
She was escorted behind the cordoned off area by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel to look at a damaged shophouse.
“According to SCDF, the nearby areas seem to be safe but they are going to validate it further and ensure that further checks are done in bright daylight,” she said, responding to questions from reporters about the structural integrity of other nearby shophouses.
“As of now… the two units that are affected are obviously not safe. The side buildings are considered safe for now, but that needs to be validated.”
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“BCA was alerted to a gas explosion incident where two 2-storey shophouse units at 84 & 85 Syed Alwi Road had partially collapsed,” it said in a Facebook post.
BCA deployed engineers to assess the structural integrity of the shophouse units and the adjacent buildings after the incident.
“The rear part of the two shophouse units have partially collapsed,” it said.
“The front facade and staircase of unit 84 were also damaged by the explosion. The other adjacent buildings were not affected by the explosion and are safe.”
BCA said its engineers have instructed the owners to put in place immediate safety measures to cordon off the two units from public access.
It also served a Dangerous Building Order and Closure Order to the respective owners of the two shophouse units to close off the buildings.
“They are also required to immediately appoint a professional engineer to advise on the immediate precautionary measures to obviate the danger, carry out detailed investigations and recommend permanent rectification measures to be carried out,” said BCA.
Member of Parliament Denise Phua (PAP-Jalan Besar) visited the scene following the incident.
She was escorted behind the cordoned off area by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel to look at a damaged shophouse.
“According to SCDF, the nearby areas seem to be safe but they are going to validate it further and ensure that further checks are done in bright daylight,” she said, responding to questions from reporters about the structural integrity of other nearby shophouses.
“As of now… the two units that are affected are obviously not safe. The side buildings are considered safe for now, but that needs to be validated.”
Continue reading...