The Philippines embassy in Singapore today confirmed the death of Filipinas in a tragic car accident outside Lucky Plaza on Sunday afternoon.
A car crashed into six women outside the Orchard Road shopping center at around 5pm, dragging them onto the service road one level down. Two of the women, aged 41 and 50, died while the others, aged 37 to 56, were seriously injured.
The 64-year-old male private-hire driver of the black Honda has been arrested for dangerous driving, police told reporters yesterday. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the incident.
Families mourn victims in Lucky Plaza accident
“The Philippine Embassy in Singapore and the Filipino Community in Singapore are deeply saddened by the death of two Filipinos and injury to the four other Filipinos during the traffic accident at Lucky Plaza Mall yesterday, 29 December 2019,” the embassy wrote in a statement.
“The embassy has notified the victims’ families in the Philippines,” it added.
Two of the seriously injured victims were in stable condition while the other two were undergoing intensive treatment, the Philippines’ department of foreign affairs wrote in a separate statement.
“The DFA stands ready to provide all the assistance needed for the victims. The DFA, through the Embassy, is now in touch with authorities for the repatriation of the remains of the Filipino casualties,” it said.
The victims were working in Singapore as domestic workers, the Center for Domestic Employees, or CDE, confirmed in a statement last night.
“CDE was distressed to learn of an accident that happened outside Lucky Plaza at about 5pm today. We are currently working with the authorities and embassy to render assistance to the victims,” it wrote on Facebook.
The center’s officers will get in touch with the victims’ respective employers and provide assistance, the statement added.
It also urged people to avoid circulating the multiple videos now posted online, which show some of the victims lying on the ground following the crash.
Eyewitnesses told The New Paper that the victims were sitting by the railings outside the mall, which is a famous spot among foreign workers along Orchard Road on Sunday, when the car ploughed into the group and the railings behind them. The car dragged them along as it fell onto the service road.
The driver was said to have lost control of the vehicle after making a U-turn while trying to exit the cul-de-sac. He works with ride-hailing firm Grab, who told local media it was assisting authorities with the investigation.
Videos posted online showed a group of people surrounding the black Honda, lifting it up and pulling out a body from underneath it as large crowds looked on from the sides.
Clips also showed police officers cordoning the area as paramedics attempted to resuscitate victims before placing them on stretchers and into ambulances. They were taken to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Separately, a number of people were sitting near the railings and nursing their injured legs, photos showed.
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