SUTD student injured in Nice terror attack has 'passed critical period'

Mr Esmond Chuah, 22, a Malaysian student from the Singapore University of Technology and Design, was injured in a terror attack in Nice on July 14, 2016. PHOTO: FACEBOOK/CHUAH TZE LENG

SINGAPORE - The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) student injured in the Nice terror attack has passed the critical period, and will be repatriated after the hospital has cleared him for travel, the school said in an update on Tuesday (July 19).

Malaysian Esmond Chuah, 22, suffered back and other injuries after being hit by the side of a 19-tonne truck which ploughed through a crowd during Bastille Day celebrations in the southern French city on July 14, killing 84 and injuring more than 200 others.

The driver, Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, was shot dead by police.

Mr Chuah was among 12 SUTD students in Nice for a three-week summer programme, which ends on Friday (July 22).

A doctor is reviewing his medical test results, and no internal bleeding or neurological damage has been found, an SUTD spokesman said in a statement.

The university has sent a senior staff member to Nice to support the students, in addition to their insurance company's emergency team, said the spokesman.

The students have been issued a travel advisory to return to Singapore upon completion of the summer programme on Friday, and so far, three of the 11 students have stated that they will be returning, while the rest will decide later or have decided to proceed with their personal travel plans after the programme end.

Several of the SUTD students had told The Sunday Times that they were at the Promenade des Anglais to watch the fireworks, and fled during the attack which began around 10.45pm.

During a roll call at their hostel later that night, they discovered that Mr Chuah was missing, and heard from him only the next day, when he contacted them using a nurse's cellphone.

A Singaporean man was also injured in the attack, but his injuries are not life-threatening, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

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