Tanjong Katong sinkhole: Rescuers hope recognition motivates fellow migrant workers to help in similar cases

SINGAPORE: The migrant workers who rescued a driver after her car fell into the sinkhole along Tanjong Katong Road South last month said they hoped their recognition would motivate fellow workers to help in similar situations.

The seven workers were invited to a National Day open house at the Istana on Sunday (Aug 3), where they met and shook hands with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his wife Jane Ittogi. Mr Tharman had acknowledged their bravery in a Facebook post, thanking them for moving quickly and with courage. 

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Mr Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbaiah, foreman of the site where the sinkhole appeared, said in Tamil: "This kind of appreciation ceremony is already a lot. This is more than enough."

He added that his family back in India was very happy about the praise he was receiving, and that they were glad another family was safe and happy too, referring to the driver.

In addition to Mr Subbaiah, 47, the other workers involved in the rescue are: Excavator operator Sathapillai Rajendran, 56; and co-workers Anbazhagan Velmurugan, 26; Poomalai Saravanan, 28; Ganesan Veerasekar, 32; Bose Ajithkumar, 26; and Arumugam Chandirasekaran, 47.

Mr Sathapillai also spoke to the media and said that the president had asked the workers how they rescued the driver using a rope.

Speaking in a mix of English and Tamil, Mr Subbaiah, the foreman, said they always keep a rope on hand at the construction site for lifting loads. When the incident happened, they immediately threw the rope into the sinkhole and managed to pull the woman to safety within two or three pulls.

It was also the first time both workers had visited the Istana. Mr Sathapillai, who has been in Singapore for 26 years, said he had only seen the president's office from the outside.

Mr Subbaiah, who has worked here for 22 years, said in English that Singapore was a "nice" country. He added in Tamil that he had continued working in the country because he liked being here.

After speaking to reporters and taking photos, the workers were ushered to join in the open house activities.

The seven workers were also given a Friends of ACE appreciation coin by Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash last weekend.

The sinkhole had opened up along Tanjong Katong Road South and was adjacent to an active PUB worksite involving the construction of a 16m-deep shaft to connect three existing sewer lines. 

A concrete component in the shaft "failed" at around 5.50pm on Jul 26, the national water agency said. The sinkhole formed around the same time, causing a car to fall in. Tanjong Katong Road South, from East Coast Parkway (ECP) to Mountbatten Road, reopened to traffic on Saturday, while the opposite direction from Mountbatten Road to ECP will open on Monday from 5am.

Besides the seven workers who rescued the driver, 11 others who helped out during a fire at a shophouse in River Valley earlier this year were also invited to meet Mr Tharman and his wife on Sunday.