A 47-year-old man died on Thursday after falling from the 15th floor of a building under construction at a worksite in Woodlands.

He was on a formwork platform when the entire formwork structure gave way. The man and the structure landed on the ninth floor, about 29m down, and he was later pronounced dead at the scene, said the Manpower Ministry (MOM) yesterday.

"MOM has stopped all works at the worksite and is currently investigating the incident," it said in response to media queries.

The developer of the project is Woodlands Square and the occupier is Woh Hup, MOM added.

Earlier, the police said they were alerted to a case of unnatural death at a construction site along Woodlands Avenue 5 at 1pm on Thursday.

They said the man was found lying motionless and later pronounced dead at the scene. Investigations are ongoing.

Rescuers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had to use cutting tools to extricate the man, who was trapped in the debris, said the SCDF.

Jasia Shamdasani