SINGAPORE - Two men, aged 17 and 23, died in a lorry accident in Old Jurong Road towards Upper Bukit Timah Road on Thursday morning (Aug 4).

On Friday, the police said the 25-year-old driver was arrested for drink driving and careless driving causing death.

Paramedics from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were also alerted to the accident.

The SCDF on Friday said it used hydraulic equipment to rescue two of the passengers who were trapped in the front seat.

Two men were pronounced dead at the scene.

The authorities said the driver and the remaining five passengers, aged 15 to 20, were taken to the National University Hospital.

Police investigations are under way.

In a video posted on Thursday on Facebook on Singapore Road Accidents, a lorry was seen with its entire front compartment smashed.

The vehicle is believed to have crashed into a tree in Old Jurong Road.

The Straits Times understands that no migrant workers were involved in the crash.

Last year, two migrant workers, aged 28 and 33, who were travelling in the back of a lorry were killed when it crashed into a stationary tipper truck on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE).

There were 17 workers sitting at the back of the lorry which was heading to a worksite in Woodlands.

The lorry driver, who was not named in court, was arrested for careless driving causing death.

In 2010, three Chinese migrant workers were killed when the lorry they were in skidded and tipped over on the slip road towards Thomson Road, off the Changi-bound side of the PIE.

The lorry was carrying 15 workers in the back even though only 13 were allowed.

For drink driving, a first-time offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to $10,000. A repeat offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $20,000.

Under the Road Traffic Act, irresponsible driving offences are classified into two offences: reckless or dangerous driving, and careless driving, which involves driving without reasonable consideration.

Those who are found guilty of driving without due care or reasonable consideration causing the death of another person can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both for a first-time offence. 

For repeat offenders, they can be fined up to $20,000, jailed for up to six years or both.