SINGAPORE – Seven foreign workers who rescued a woman from a sinkhole along Tanjong Katong Road South on July 26 were given tokens of appreciation on the night of July 27 .

Mr Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah , Mr Velmurugan, Mr Saravanan, Mr Veerasekar, Mr Ajithkumar, Mr Chandirasekaran, and Mr Rajendran each received a coin from the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Assurance, Care and Engagement (ACE) group.

Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash gave the Friends of ACE coins to them personally when he visited the workers at their dormitory on July 27, he said in a Facebook video on July 28.

The coins, which are presented in red boxes, are similar to certificates of commendation. In April, the four construction workers involved in saving children from a River Valley shophouse fire also received these coins for their efforts.

A section of Tanjong Katong Road South had collapsed at around 5.50pm on July 26 . It caused two lanes of the road to cave in, just adjacent to a PUB worksite.

A woman and the black car she was driving fell into the sinkhole when the ground suddenly gave way under the vehicle. The workers, who were on the worksite, pulled the female driver to safety using a nylon rope.

“All of them have, in their own ways, leaned forward to support the lady who was in need, and that made a big difference to a situation that would have otherwise been very different,” Mr Dinesh said in the Facebook video.

He added that the coins were a small token of appreciation for the workers who have travelled very far from home to “not only build Singapore, but also to make sure that when they are required, they step forward and they can help others as well”.

Mr Dinesh commended the seven workers for reacting quickly, moving forward to help the driver and stopping traffic to prevent further incidents from taking place.

“Not only do (these migrant workers) work in the worksites and build Singapore – especially in the construction sector, but they also step forward and make themselves counted when it’s important for them to do so,” he added.

Mr Subbiah , a 46 -year-old construction site foreman for Ohin Construction, had told the media that

he and his colleagues saw the female driver fall into the sinkhole

and wanted to help her as quickly as possible.

He noted that one of his colleagues wanted to go down to help her, but Mr Subbiah advised him against doing so, as he was worried they would not be able to climb out.

He then instructed a group of workers to toss the woman a nylon rope so that they could pull her out. The entire rescue effort lasted three to five minutes.

The woman was conveyed conscious to hospital.

On the evening of July 2 6, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Facebook that the driver was rescued by workers before SCDF arrived at the scene.

“We will be reaching out to the workers to commend them for their bravery and prompt action in saving a life,” it added.

The Straits Times has contacted SCDF for more information.

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