Singapore will carry out a safety time-out to review sewer construction works across the country after a sinkhole appeared near a sewer site, the Public Utilities Board announced on Monday, July 28.
The incident took place on Saturday afternoon, July 26, along Tanjong Katong Road South in the southeastern part of the city, causing a car to fall into the sinkhole. The driver was rescued with the help of workers on site and taken to the hospital for medical attention.
Singapore Sinkhole: A woman was taken to the hospital after her car was swallowed up by a sinkhole in Tanjong Katong, Singapore. She was fortunately rescued conscious by several workers using a rope. The appearance of the sinkhole was attributed to a water main pipe burst. pic.twitter.com/0YONNzX0yl
— John Cremeans (@JohnCremeansX) July 27, 2025
According to officials, a concrete component in the construction shaft failed at around 5.50 pm, around the same time the road collapsed. Following the incident, water supply was disrupted in the area, affecting 18 households.
Preliminary investigations suggest that water pipes may have been damaged due to ground movement linked to the sinkhole. The affected pipes were isolated and full water supply was restored by early Sunday morning.
The sinkhole formed next to an active construction site where ongoing works involve building a 16-metre-deep shaft to connect three sewer lines. On the day of the incident, a caisson ring in the shaft reportedly failed, which coincided with the appearance of the sinkhole nearby. Authorities are still investigating the exact cause of the failure, and it is not yet confirmed whether the caisson ring issue and the sinkhole are directly related.
A ground-penetrating radar scan and further analysis are being carried out to examine the condition of the surrounding area. The sinkhole has been filled with liquefied stabilised soil to strengthen the ground, and road reinstatement work will follow. The Building and Construction Authority, the Land Transport Authority, and the Public Utilities Board are jointly overseeing recovery and safety measures.
