Accident in Bukit Timah: 2 schoolkids taken to NUH; 4 arrested

An accident involving a school bus took place in the morning on March 6 along Bukit Timah Road towards Upper Bukit Timah Road, just outside the Royalgreen condominium.

The police said it was alerted to the accident involving a bus and car at about 6am.

The car, which had three passengers, caught fire on impact.

Officers pulled out a 32-year-old female passenger and a 27-year-old male passenger to safety.

There was also a 22-year-old male passenger.

All three were arrested for traffic-related offences.

The 26-year-old male driver was arrested for failing to provide a breath specimen under the Road Traffic Act 1961.

The police said the four, and two children aboard the school bus, aged eight and nine, were taken to hospital.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire near the junction of Bukit Timah Road and Maple Avenue at 6.20am and extinguished it using a water jet.

It added that six people were conscious when taken to the National University Hospital. One other person was assessed but declined to be taken to hospital.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Several videos of the accident’s aftermath shared in a Telegram group show a badly damaged bus with its two front wheels dislodged.

In one video, a burning car is seen near the crash site.

School supplies such as files, pieces of paper and lunch boxes, are seen strewn across the road.

At least two SCDF ambulances were at the scene.

When The Straits Times arrived at around 9am, an Emas recovery vehicle, eight police cars and at least four Traffic Police (TP) motorcycles were there.

A smashed and charred car was nearby, emanating a strong burnt smell.

A headlight was found on a grass patch along the road, around 80m from the burnt car. One of the car’s wheels, debris from the car’s bonnet and a shoe were also spotted near the accident site.

Police officers were examining the wreckage.

The burnt vehicle and school bus were towed away at 12.50pm and 1.10pm respectively.

A lamp post had fallen on two lanes at Bukit Timah Road. On the four-lane road, the accident took up three lanes.

The area was cordoned off until the Sixth Avenue junction, around 100m from the bus and burnt car. Pedestrians and residents of Royalgreen in Anamalai Avenue in Bukit Timah were not allowed to pass through the area. The cordon was lifted at 11.30am.

In a Facebook post at around 9am, SBS Transit announced that bus services 74, 151, 154, 156, 157, 170, 174 and 852 were delayed along Bukit Timah Road towards Clementi Road because of an accident.

Mr Amin Ismail, 26, who works as a delivery rider for Indian Curry House around 200m from the scene, rode past at 7.15am.

He said: “By the time I was there, there was a huge jam and many cars were sounding their horns. A cordon had already been set up and police officers were trying to direct traffic.

“I heard a car was on fire, but at the time it had already been put out.”

A resident at Royalgreen, who wanted to be known only as Madam Khoo, said: “I’m quite concerned about the traffic in this area. Some vehicles drive very fast, and there are even some cars that would stop along Anamalai Avenue to drop people off or make a quick stop at the bank.”

The homemaker, who is in her 50s, said: “There are quite a number of international schools in this area, and Methodist Girls’ School and Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) are in the vicinity. So, it can be quite dangerous.”

Ms Nanthini, 33, a security guard at Royalgreen, said she arrived for her shift at around 8.30am and was stuck in the jam.

A security guard for around a year, she said: “It’s my first time seeing an accident of such magnitude here. During peak hours, the traffic runs smoothly, so some cars will drive quite fast.”