Twenty-six people were taken to hospital yesterday morning after a lorry rear-ended a lorry crane in Tuas.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force responded to the incident at the junction of Tuas Crescent and Tuas South Avenue 5 at about 6.30am.

Upon arrival at the scene, its officers had to use a hydraulic spreader to extricate two trapped victims.

The Straits Times (ST) understands that the accident happened as the lorry was heading along its usual route to a worksite in Tuas.

The 26 injured were taken conscious to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

ST understands that the workers are from China, Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. There were no Singaporeans.

Twenty-two of the workers have been discharged. One has been hospitalised, while three are under observation in hospital.

Bangladeshi worker Kaliyamoorthy, 41, told ST that he was driving the lorry when it rear-ended the lorry crane in front.

Mr Kaliyamoorthy said he had hit the brakes at the traffic light, but the vehicle did not stop in time and ended up crashing into the lorry crane in front.

Mr Kaliyamoorthy, who has been with South Forward Construction for four years, said: "I don't know how it happened. I was shocked and scared."

Company director Han Jia Yuan, 46, said the firm was registered in 2010. He added that this was the first time such an accident had happened.

Mr Han said that compensation for the accident will be covered by insurance.

"No one hopes for an accident to happen. But now that it has, we just have to deal with it," he said.

"We tell and remind them (the workers) to observe safety rules and drive a safe distance behind, but sometimes mistakes can happen."

Mr Han declined to comment on the extent of his workers' injuries, except to say that most of them were all right.

"The more serious ones will remain in hospital for observation," he said.

Police investigations into the accident are ongoing.

•Additional reporting by Fabian Koh