SINGAPORE - An elderly bus driver died on Friday morning (April 1) after two private buses collided in Jurong West, leaving one on its side.

The accident had left a purple bus carrying more than 30 people flipped on its side, and a blue bus was partially in a ditch off the side of the road.

A spokesman for the police said they were alerted to the accident at the junction of First Lok Yang Road and Lok Yang Way at about 6.30am.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had found the elderly bus driver trapped in the seat of the blue bus.

They had to use hydraulic rescue equipment to free him before pronouncing him dead at the scene.

The driver, believed to be in his 70s, was the only one in the vehicle.

SCDF also took 37 passengers from the purple bus to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and National University Hospital.

They were conscious and the accident is being investigated, said the police.

The driver of the purple bus, operated by Rui Feng Chartered, was not taken to hospital.

A spokesman for the company said she was unable to share further details about the accident as investigations are ongoing.

But she said no one on the bus had been seriously injured, and the driver had suffered minor injuries.

Chinese-language evening daily Shin Min Daily News reported the injured passengers had climbed out of the bus to escape.

A woman believed to be the owner of Golden Friendly Contractors, which operated the blue bus, told Shin Min that the man who died was a part-time driver.

He is believed to have been dining near the industrial area just before the accident.

She said the driver had completed a trip ferrying workers and was on his way to ferry another batch of workers in the area when the accident happened.