23-year-old woman killed in accident between SMRT bus and car at Bukit Timah junction

SINGAPORE: A 23-year-old woman was killed in a collision between an SMRT bus and a car at the junction of Jalan Anak Bukit and Jalan Jurong Kechil in the Bukit Timah area in the early hours of Sunday (Apr 22). 

The police said they were alerted to the accident at 12.57am. The car driver, a 24-year-old woman, and one of her passengers, a 26-year-old man, were conscious when they were sent to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. 

The 23-year-old woman, also a passenger in the car, was unconscious when she was sent to the National University Hospital, where she subsequently succumbed to her injuries, the authorities said. Police investigations are ongoing. 

Channel NewsAsia understands that the 23-year-old woman was seated in the left rear seat, while the man was the front seat passenger. 

The car is believed to have been moving along Jalan Anak Bukit towards Upper Bukit Timah Road. The driver was attempting to make a right turn when it collided with the bus, which was coming from the opposite direction, at the junction.

In response to Channel NewsAsia's queries, SMRT vice president for corporate communications Margaret Teo said: "We are saddened that the accident has occurred, and will be reaching out to the deceased’s family to provide assistance during this difficult time." 

She said that the public transport company was extending its fullest cooperation to the police in their investigations. The bus captain involved has also been reassigned to non-driving duties while assisting with investigations, she added.

The incident comes just days after another accident at a junction resulted in the death of a young woman. On Thursday night, 19-year-old Kathy Ong, a student from the National University of Singapore, died after the Premier taxi she was in collided with a car at the junction of Clementi Road and Commonwealth Avenue West.