SINGAPORE: Only before 4pm on Apr 20, 2004, Colonel Mohamed Nazim– therefore a young official – observed communication lines in his unit ringing off the hook.
Soon, the media came – a part of the Nicoll Highway had collapsed.
Col Nazim was activated, and he drove his emergency response aircraft to the scene of the incident, picking up Col Chew Keng Tok as he went.
The officers from the elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team ( DART ) of the Singapore Civil Defence Force planned to take actions, but the incident’s location was more severe and chaotic than both men had anticipated.
The officers were welcomed at the Nicoll Highway Circle Line MRT place construction site by a deep valley caused by the collapse of a temporary retaining walls at the construction site.
“It was something which we never expected, ” said Col Mohamed Nazim.
In the cave-in, a crane growth and a flatbed truck were tucked into a container workplace. The liquid level was rapidly rising, according to Col Chew, who was a member of the Kallang Basin.