JTC cordons off area around industrial building in Bedok after parts of concrete roof fall

Work is under way to remove some concrete pieces that are still dangling from the roof of the four-storey building. ST PHOTOS: GIN TAY
JTC has cordoned off the area around a building in Bedok Industrial Park E after parts of the concrete roof came crashing to the ground. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

SINGAPORE - JTC Corporation has cordoned off the area around an industrial building at 3013 Bedok Industrial Park E after parts of decorative features on a concrete roof came crashing to the ground.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed that it received a report and found that a block of concrete about 40m long had fallen from four storeys high on Sunday morning (Aug 22).

No one was injured.

Work is under way to remove some concrete pieces that are still dangling from the roof of the four-storey building, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said in a statement on Sunday.

BCA said it was alerted to the incident on Sunday morning, and asked building owner JTC to call in a professional engineer for advice on how to remove the dislodged concrete piece.

The engineer will also recommend permanent rectification works and inspect three other adjacent blocks with a similar concrete sunshade design.

A JTC spokesman said investigations are ongoing and JTC officers are engaging with tenants on site.

BCA and the engineer engaged by JTC have inspected the main building and assessed that its structural integrity is not affected.

BCA has asked building owner JTC to call in a professional engineer for advice on how to remove the dislodged concrete piece. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

Mr Alan Ong is a director at signboard-making firm Gomotex Signcraft Studio, which is located on the first floor of the affected building. He said some of the other tenants of the affected block told him that the concrete fell earlier in the day, between 4am and 6am.

There would hardly have been anyone around at the time because most units at the industrial estate are closed on Sunday, he added.

Mr Ong went to check on his shop at about 10.30am after reading messages from other tenants that alerted him to the incident.

JTC Corporation has cordoned off the area around an industrial building in Bedok Industrial Park E after parts of the concrete roof came crashing to the ground. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

"When I woke up at about 9.30am and saw their messages, I was shocked. You never expect this to happen. Someone could have been hurt if this happened on a weekday, " said Mr Ong, who is in his 50s.

He added that JTC told tenants they had until around 3pm to retrieve personal or important belongings from their units before they would not be allowed to enter the block.

He estimates that at least 20 tenants were there in the morning to collect their items.

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