SIngapore sinkhole

SINGAPORE’S government is forming an internal panel to investigate the cause of a sinkhole that swallowed a car in the city-state last week, according to minister Grace Fu.

“It was a serious incident, and it should not have happened,” Fu, Singapore’s minister for sustainability and the environment, said at the site of the sinkhole on Tuesday.

A sinkhole appeared along Tanjong Katong Road South on Saturday, causing a car to plunge into it. It was located next to a worksite maintained by the national water agency PUB, where a concrete structure in a 16-meter deep shaft being built failed. The driver of the car suffered injuries before being rescued by construction workers nearby.

Fu apologized to the driver, residents and the public for causing anxiety and unease, and for suffering inconveniences from the road closure and diversion. She said the government has also called for a safety timeout for PUB to review similar construction works across Singapore.

PUB has done many tests to verify ground stability and will not open the road until it clears safety assessments, which could take a few more days, Fu said. –BLOOMBERG

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