The body of an excavator operator who was trapped at a worksite at Novena Ville yesterday was extricated after an operation that took at least five hours.
Preliminary findings showed that Mr Low Chim Lam, 59, was operating the excavator on a first storey floor slab some time after 8:00am when it gave way.
The machine then toppled onto its side and fell to the basement level, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) First Division Commander Daniel Seet said the driver's cabin was pressed against a reinforced concrete beam, making it "very dangerous and difficult for an immediate rescue effort".
SCDF officers had to work with site contractors to use a 160-tonne crane that arrived on scene at about noon. Once the machine was stabilised, another excavator with a hydraulic cutter sliced away at concrete beams and flooring that were pressed against the cabin to reach Mr Low, who was pronounced dead at 2:03pm.
Demolition works were being carried out by Hwa Aik Engineering, which declined to comment. The MOM has issued a stop-work order at the site. Police said the accident has been classified as unnatural death.
