SINGAPORE - A 77-year-old woman died in hospital after she was hit by an SBS Transit bus in Lavender on Sunday morning (May 27).

The police said they were alerted to the accident between a bus and a pedestrian in Lavender Street, in the direction of Crawford Street, at about 5.45am.

The woman was unconscious when she was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where she subsequently died.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said that the hospital was alerted to be on standby to receive the woman, which is typically done for serious cases.

Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported on Monday that the woman, Madam Li Niangquan, had lived alone.

Her 70-year-old brother, Mr Li Shunan, told the newspaper that he was initially worried that his sister had lost her way after going out alone.

On Saturday at about 5pm, he left some bread outside her home before going to work, but when he returned at about 11pm, he noticed that the bread was left untouched.

He then made a police report.

But on Sunday at about 9am, he received a call from the police requesting that he identify a body.

"The police said that there was a body that was not yet claimed at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and the situation seemed to match my report," said Mr Li, who works as an assistant at a coffee shop.

"I went down and confirmed that it was my sister's body."

The police informed him that his sister was involved in an accident with a bus at a traffic junction, he said.

He added that he is hoping witnesses would step forward to provide more information on how the accident happened.

Mr Li said that his sister loved to exercise and often took walks, sometimes for up to six hours.

He added that she was an independent woman, but he often brought dinner to her Whampoa home in the evenings.

Madam Li's neighbours described her as a friendly and kind person, who enjoyed chatting with volunteers at a nearby senior activity centre.

Police investigations are ongoing.

SBS Transit senior vice-president of corporate communications Tammy Tan said on Monday that the bus driver has since been suspended while the company is assisting the police in their investigations.

"We are very sorry and sad that this has happened," she said. "We have reached out to her family during this difficult time to render assistance as best we can."