SINGAPORE - The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rescued a man pinned inside a tipper truck in a 3½-hour operation on Thursday (Oct 31).

In a Facebook post on the same day, the SCDF said the accident happened on East Coast Parkway (ECP) after the Tanah Merah Coast Road exit at 4.17pm.

The Straits Times understands that no other vehicles were involved, and that the tipper truck had toppled over.

A photo accompanying the SCDF post shows sand-like material that the truck was carrying spilled on the road and SCDF officers near the cabin of the overturned truck.

In what SCDF described as a "delicate and complex rescue mission", the man was extracted from his vehicle with injuries only to his lower limbs by rescuers from the SCDF's elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team.

SCDF said that when it arrived at the scene, the man was pinned to his seat by the crushed cabin of his truck, which was lying on its side.

To prevent further injury to the man, a truck-mounted crane was used to stabilise the truck to minimise movement, while other hydraulic equipment was used to cut through the cabin to gain access to the trapped driver.

The man was later taken conscious to Changi General Hospital, which also sent an emergency medical team to provide on-site support to the rescue operation.