Students caught on camera hanging out on 16th-floor ledge of Sengkang condominium

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Students hanging out on open ledges on the 16th floor of Riversound Residences. VIDEO: MR ANDREW

SINGAPORE - Images of students hanging out on open ledges on the 16th floor of Riversound Residences have gone viral on social media.

A resident who lives near the condominium in Sengkang said he saw five teenagers, believed to be lower secondary students, on ledges on Monday (Aug 21) just before 5pm.

"I was watering the plants, when I looked up and saw the five of them. At that moment I was like 'Are they going to commit suicide?'," the resident, who only wanted to be known as Mr Andrew, told The Straits Times.

He took a video of the incident, in which the teenagers could be seen sitting on the ledge with their legs dangling over the edge, and squatting there, before they went back indoors one by one.

"I wanted to shout at them, but I didn't want to shock them or they may stumble and fall," Mr Andrew said.

He added that he was concerned that young people were being influenced by their peers and what they see on the Internet.

The management of Riversound Residences said that it had tracked down the unit immediately after it was notified of this incident, and informed the parents of one of the students.

The other students were identified as his friends.

The management explained that the ledge in question is part of "the bomb shelter's mandatory reinforcement structure", and its architect had met all safety requirements.

"It is unfortunate that the students have, for unknown reasons, breached the safety barrier by climbing onto the ledge," said the condominium's management. "They are probably young and unaware of the danger and consequences."

The management has since issued advisory notices to all its residents to promote better safety awareness. The management committee has also been informed.

This is apparently not the first time that teenagers have been seen defying death at the condominium.

Photos have been circulating of other incidents, including one where four boys were seen allegedly running along the rooftop of a block in the condominium.

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