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A section of the roof at Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery along Bright Hill Road partially collapsed on Wednesday (Nov 26) evening.<\/p>\n
Speaking to AsiaOne on Nov 27, a resident living in an HDB block beside the monastery, who wished to be known only as Yasin, said he heard a loud crashing sound at around 8.30pm.<\/p>\n
“I was watching TV with my family when we heard something rumbling. It sounded like a jet. My wife thought it was a firecracker or the sound of shutters, but we felt it couldn’t be that loud,” said the 33-year-old senior security officer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Upon looking out of the window, Yasin discovered that a portion of the temple had collapsed and noticed several people, including a security guard, running to check on the situation.<\/p>\n
In a video posted on Yasin’s Threads account, achinwhytezz, on Nov 26, the aftermath of the collapse can be seen, with debris scattered around the building.<\/p>\n
A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) vehicle was spotted at the scene, with rescue personnel on site assessing the damage.<\/p>\n
Responding to queries from AsiaOne, SCDF said they were alerted to an incident at 88 Bright Hill Road at about 8.25pm on Nov 26.<\/p>\n
Upon SCDF’s arrival, roof tiles and a supporting roof frame was observed within the courtyard of the premises.<\/p>\n
SCDF firefighters and rescuers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team, together with search canines from SCDF’s search platoon conducted a search.<\/p>\n
A person was assessed for minor injuries by an SCDF paramedic but they declined to be taken to the hospital.<\/p>\n
In a statement on Nov 27, a spokesperson for the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) confirmed that it was alerted to a building incident along Bright Hill Road.<\/p>\n
“BCA engineers inspected the site and found sections of the roof tiles and the supporting roof frame have fallen off the four-storey Venerable Hong Choon Memorial Hall,” said the spokesperson. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The spokesperson added that the windows of the adjacent building were also damaged by the fallen debris, but the structural integrity of the affected buildings remains intact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“In the interest of public safety, BCA has directed the building owner to close off the two buildings from public access,” said the authority. \u00a0<\/p>\n
BCA also stated that it has ordered the building owner to appoint a professional engineer to investigate the collapse, advise on the necessary precautionary measures, and recommend permanent rectification works.<\/p>\n
AsiaOne has reached out to Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery for more information.\u00a0<\/p>\n
[[nid:713046]]<\/p>\n
xingying.koh@asiaone.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n