The body of a 23-year-old construction worker is due to be flown back to his native Bangladesh today after he was killed by a falling steel truss on Monday night.
Mr Riyade Hussain, who had been here for just five months, sustained fatal injuries after being pinned by the truss, which had toppled from a trailer.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force was alerted to the incident at the train depot construction site off Mandai Road at about 8.30pm.
A spokesman said that Mr Riyade was trapped under the truss and had to be extricated using rescue tools. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Riyade, who was from the Comilla district in Bangladesh, had many relatives and friends working here, which was one reason he wanted to come here and work, his uncle, Mr Sabuj, 38, told reporters yesterday.
Mr Sabuj, who paid $7,500 to bring his nephew to Singapore, said: "He was very good in his studies. I explained to him many times that it's not good to be here. Every day, he has to work no matter what. But he still wanted to come."
Mr Sabuj, a factory worker who has been in Singapore for 15 years, said he had hoped to get his nephew to work with him after two years, when he had gained some experience. Mr Sabuj and his nephew last met last Friday, when they discussed how much Mr Riyade should send home for Hari Raya, which falls on July 6 this year.
Mr Sabuj said that his nephew sent home about $500 out of about $700 that he earned monthly.
He described Mr Riyade, his elder brother's son, as very quiet, smart, and mature for his age. He was close to his grandmother, before she died about two years ago.
"He was the one who took care of my mother. Food, everything. Even when he wanted to go out, he would inform her, not his own mother," he said.
A representative from Mr Riyade's employer, Zecon Engineering Works, was present at the morgue yesterday and said the company would pay for all expenses and give any assistance it could. He added that this was the first such accident in the company's history.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has issued a full stop-work order of at least three weeks to Jurong Primewide, on whose worksite the fatality happened.
The company will also be closely monitored, an MOM spokesman said, adding that investigations are ongoing.
Mandai Depot is being built for the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line and is expected to be ready in 2019. It will also house a bus depot.
