Teen dies after basketball hoop structure in Bedok South falls on him
SINGAPORE: A teenager has died after a basketball hoop structure in Bedok South fell on him on Monday (Jul 26) night.
The police said they received a call for help at 8.43pm about someone found injured next to a fallen structure at a basketball court near Block 18 Bedok South Road.
The 17-year-old was unconscious when taken to Changi General Hospital and CPR was performed on him en route, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force said. The teenager subsequently died in the hospital from his injuries.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, the East Coast Town Council said it was saddened by the incident.
A basketball hoop structure had collapsed and fell onto one of the users of the court, the town council said, citing "initial information it received".
The town council said it has closed the basketball court "to conduct a thorough check on the integrity of all the structures there" for residents' safety.
"Our heart goes out to the victim and his family. We will work closely with the relevant agencies to provide support and assistance to them," it said.
The police said investigations into the unnatural death are ongoing.
East Coast Town Council said it is cooperating with the police and appealed for witnesses to contact the Bedok Police Division at 1800-244-0000.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is MP for East Coast GRC, was spotted visiting the scene of the incident on Tuesday, just before noon.
On Tuesday afternoon, Mr Heng posted about the incident on Facebook, saying that he visited the teenager's family to offer his condolences.
"The sudden loss has been extremely difficult for his family and friends. We are giving them our fullest support, and I urge everyone not to circulate videos or pictures of the incident," he said.
Mr Heng also said he had been briefed by the town council's general manager on how inspections of sports and recreational structures in East Coast are under way.
