SINGAPORE - At least two motorcyclists died and six were injured in a collision involving nine motorcycles and a van along the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) on Saturday (March 11) afternoon.

The 25-year-old van driver was arrested for a rash act causing death. His driving licence will be suspended with immediate effect, the police said in a statement on Saturday.

The two motorcyclists, aged 34 and 50, were pronounced dead at the scene. Six other injured motorcyclists were conveyed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

Police said they were alerted to the accident at 3.49pm.

Videos posted on Facebook and circulated on WhatsApp show at least two police tents at the area under the Seletar Expressway (SLE) flyover, towards Woodlands near the SLE exit.

According to a message circulating on WhatsApp, the motorcyclists had sought shelter under the flyover due to the rain when the accident occurred.

The video accompanying the message shows six men sprawled on the ground, with two bleeding.

Another video, posted by Facebook user Aishah Osman, shows police vehicles at the scene, with at least nine motorcycles at the side. Some of them had toppled over and looked damaged. An ambulance was also seen.

At 6.24pm when the Straits Times went down to the scene, the area had been cordoned off by police, and traffic police investigators were on site.

Relatives of the casualties were also present.

The incident resulted in the left most lane of the expressway being closed to the public, and caused a traffic jam that cleared five hours later at almost 9pm.

One motorcyclist who had been taking shelter from the rain and whose bike had been slightly damaged told the Straits Times that "it was chaotic".

Investigations are ongoing.

The police have urged the public not to circulate photos or videos of the deceased, out of respect for the families.