Two members of the public were on Monday recognised by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for their roles in rescuing two accident victims trapped in a burning car.

Mr Lim Hong Kia, 53, and Mr Yan Zhen Jun, 44, had last Friday managed to drag a trapped driver and his passenger out to safety in the nick of time. Three minutes after they were dragged out of the car, which had collided with a tipper truck, it exploded.

The accident had occurred at about 1.20pm on the Bukit Timah Expressway, in the direction of the Pan-Island Expressway. Both men were presented with the SCDF Public Spiritedness Award by Colonel Ling Young Ern, Commander of the 4th Civil Defence Division on Monday afternoon.

Mr Lim is self-employed, while Mr Yan, who was the driver of the tipper truck, hails from Shandong province in China and has been in Singapore for nearly six years.

Both men said they were spurred into action with nary a thought about the inherent dangers involved. Mr Lim said: "There was no time to think, I couldn't bear the thought of seeing the two casualties being burnt to death."

The two victims, who are believed to be in their 20s, were taken conscious to the National University Hospital, where they reportedly received treatment for abrasions as well as knee and elbow pains as a result of the accident's impact. They did not sustain any burns.