60 people trapped in Sentosa monorail rescued
About 60 people were trapped on the Sentosa Express, commonly known as the monorail, late Thursday night (Dec 4).
A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman told The New Paper they got a call for help at about 11.30pm.
A spokesman from Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) said the breakdown occurred at 10.10pm.
The train, bound for VivoCity, stalled between the Imbiah and Beach stations.
One Twitter user, @xavi_haikal, posted the following picture from inside the stalled vehicle:
The SCDF sent one fire engine, a red rhino, an ambulance and two support vehicles for the rescue operations. They used two ladders to allow passengers to climb down from the train.
Some of the passengers were seen being carried out on a stretcher.
The SCDF spokesman said for safety reasons, each passenger has to wear a helmet and be secured by a safety line before coming down the ladder.
Shuttle buses and taxis were arranged for those who wanted to leave Sentosa from Imbiah and Beach stations, said the SDC spokesman.
3:24 am update: The last trapped passenger was rescued at 1.54am.
The Twitter user, @xavi_haikal, later posted this update:
Latest (5am) statement from Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC):
At 10.10pm, the Sentosa Express, the island's lightrail transport system, experienced a service disruption. A two-carriage train, bound for VivoCity, was stalled between the Beach and Imbiah Stations.
There were 61 guests and staff onboard the train at that time and immediate efforts were made to bring them to safety in accordance with standard rescue operating procedure.
This involved transferring them to a rescue train that would bring them back to the nearest Imbiah Station.
However, due to technical difficulties in moving the rescue train, the SCDF was eventually called in to assist with the rescue operations.
All the passengers were successfully rescued, with the last passenger being brought to safety at 2am.
Taxi transportation was arranged to send them home.
Investigations on the cause of the service disruption are currently ongoing.
- Additional reporting by Gavin Foo
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