Worker dies after being struck by lightning on floating fish farm off Lim Chu Kang
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The 30-year-old fishery worker was struck at around 4pm on May 5 at a fish farm in waters off Lim Chu Kang coast.
PHOTO: ST READER
SINGAPORE – A worker at a fish farm died after being struck by lightning on the afternoon of May 5.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said the 30-year-old fishery worker was struck at around 4pm that day at a fish farm in waters off Lim Chu Kang coast.
The police said they received a call for assistance at 691 Lim Chu Kang Road, which is the address of the Singapore Food Agency Lim Chu Kang Jetty.
The man was unconscious when taken to Woodlands Hospital by the Singapore Civil Defence Force. He later died at the hospital.
Police and MOM investigations are ongoing, the authorities said.
The employer of the site the man was working at is F20W, MOM added.
The ministry said that workers should immediately seek shelter when alerted to any potential thundery showers. They should wait for at least 30 minutes after thunder is last heard before resuming outdoor activities, MOM added.
On the day of the incident, the National Environmental Agency issued a heavy rain alert for southern, eastern and central areas of Singapore at about 5.10pm.
The Meteorological Service Singapore had earlier said in its fortnightly weather advisory on April 30 that thundery showers in the afternoon over parts of Singapore are to be expected for the first half of May.
On its website, the Met Service said Singapore has an average of 176 lightning days per year.
In late December 2023, three workers were taken to hospital after lightning struck near their HDB worksite.
They were working on the roof of a block when it started to rain. As they were moving to shelter, a bolt of lightning struck near the area they were at, HDB said.
The workers reported feeling dizzy and were taken to hospital.
Lightning has also led to MRT disruptions.
In June 2024, a part on the North-South Line malfunctioned along the lightning-prone section between Kranji and Marsiling stations due to damage from past lightning strikes.
The malfunction resulted in a traction power fault that disrupted commutes along the northern stretch of the line for more than two hours.
In November 2017, an MRT train on the East-West Line was struck by lightning and stalled near Bedok station, causing delays between Tanah Merah and Paya Lebar.
Passengers were detrained at Bedok station after the incident and the train driver, who said he was unwell, was taken to hospital.
