SINGAPORE - A Malaysian man appeared in a Singapore district court last Saturday (Oct 12) after he allegedly drove a bus in a negligent manner in Tuas, leading to an accident that killed a production operator.

Kalaimani Muniandy, 60, was charged with causing the death of Madam Mok Fei Chen, a 35-year-old Malaysian who worked for technology company Hewlett-Packard in Singapore.

He is accused of failing to keep proper control of the Malaysian-registered vehicle along a ramp near the arrival hall of the Tuas Checkpoint at around 4.20am on Feb 26.

The bus hit the walls of the ramp and Madam Mok was one of two women who were flung out of the vehicle. Both fell from the ramp, about three storeys high, to the ground below.

Madam Mok died of multiple injuries at the scene, while the other woman, who was 21 at the time, survived.

Kalaimani is also accused of causing hurt to nine passengers and grievous hurt to two others by driving in a negligent manner that morning.

A coroner's inquiry in August into Madam Mok's death found that she was travelling on the bus from Johor with 15 other people - mostly her colleagues - when the accident occurred.

Her husband, Mr Tai She Chun, 38, was also on the bus.

Coroner Marvin Bay ruled Madam Mok's death to be a "tragic traffic misadventure".

The coroner had also said that the bus could not be tested after the accident as its operational components were damaged.

He noted, however, that the vehicle had been maintained regularly and was inspected just two days before the tragedy.

Kalaimani's bail was set at $10,000 on Saturday and he will be back in court on Oct 18.

If convicted of causing Madam Mok's death by negligent driving, he can be jailed for up to two years and fined.

Madam Mok is survived by Mr Tai and their two young daughters.