A 60-year-old male motorcyclist was killed yesterday in an accident on the Kranji Expressway (KJE) which caused a massive jam for several hours.

The accident during the morning rush hour took place in the direction of the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) after the Brickland Road exit.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the accident at around 5.30am. It dispatched a fire engine, a red rhino, three ambulances and a support vehicle.

The trapped motorcyclist was extricated by SCDF personnel using hydraulic rescue tools and airbags. He was later pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

The Land Transport Authority first notified motorists about the accident in a tweet at 5.54am.

Police said in a Facebook post more than three hours later, at 8.58am, that all lanes had been opened to traffic.

The jam on the expressway held up many commuters. Mr M. Chuah, a contract worker at one of the universities here, said that he was late for work by about 30 minutes.

Mr Chuah, 27, was on his way to work in a company bus when he was caught in the jam. He usually boards the bus at around 7.50am and reaches his workplace in roughly 40 minutes.

"I thought it was a normal jam, considering that the KJE to PIE (route) is always congested at this time. I got to work at around 8.55am," he said.

Sanjay Nair and Rachel Oh