AN ARMY officer was pinned under a Land Rover in a camp for several minutes before help came. Second Lieutenant Nicholas Chan Wei Kit, 21, a motor transport officer based at the Seletar Camp, died soon after he was taken to hospital on Friday afternoon.

He had been conducting a routine check of a Land Rover that had been sent to the camp for servicing at about 11.30am on Friday.

He was apparently bending down to check the vehicle's rear lights when the vehicle - which can weigh between one and two tonnes - rolled backwards and hit him, pinning him under its wheels.

The Defence Ministry would not say if he was alone at the time of the incident, or who discovered him under the vehicle. It is also not clear exactly how long 2LT Chan was stuck under the Land Rover.

But there was at least a gap of about 30 minutes between the time he took over the vehicle and the time a recovery vehicle - located within the grounds of the camp - was dispatched. The Land Rover was eventually lifted off 2LT Chan at 12.30pm - an hour after he had taken over the vehicle.

He was taken to Changi General Hospital, accompanied by a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) medical team, whose members were trying to revive him. 2LT Chan died of his injuries in the hospital shortly after 1pm.

It is understood that there was no one seated in the Land Rover at the time.

What remains unclear is whether the handbrake had been applied or wheelchokes put in place at the wheels to prevent it from moving accidentally. As part of the military's standard operating procedure, wheelchokes - blocks made of metal or wood - are placed at the base of the front and back tyres of stationary vehicles during servicing to prevent them from rolling backwards.

The driver of the vehicle is understood to be from another camp, although Mindef did not give details about him.

Mindef is investigating the officer's death, which is at least the seventh to hit the SAF so far this year.

Please read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times

kimspyke@sph.com.sg