SINGAPORE: Twenty-eight people were injured during a collision involving two trains at the Joo Koon Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station near Tuas, here during the morning rush hour today.
The 8.20am incident occurred when a stalled train on the East-West Line was hit on its rear by a second train, which initially was in a stationary position as well.
SMRT Corp Ltd said that the second train abruptly moved and collided with the train in front of it.
"This morning at 8.18am, a train heading in the direction of Tuas Link Station stalled at Joo Koon Station. At 8.19am, a second train stopped behind the first faulty train.
"At 8.20am, the second train moved forward unexpectedly, and came into contact with the first train.
"Twenty three passengers and two SMRT staff sustained light to moderate injuries, and have been conveyed to Ng Teng Fong Hospital and National University Hospital. SMRT and Land Transport Authority (LTA) are investigating the incident," said SMRT Corp in a statement today.
The reason behind the collision is yet to be known. However, transport experts in Singapore told media in the republic that a possible malfunction or even a "bug" in the trains' new signalling system software may have contributed to the accident. The signalling system is supposed to make sure that trains maintain a safe distance between each other.
Photos taken by witnesses uploaded online showed no apparent damages on both trains. But a few first-hand accounts of the incident claimed that the collision's impact caused many passengers to fall down.
SMRT Corp said temporarily suspended its services between Boon Lay and Tuas Link stations beginning 2pm today.
However, its services for other routes were not affected.
"Free bus and bridging bus services are available between Boon Lay and Tuas Link," it said.
A spokesman for Ng Teng Fong General Hospital said that 13 of the injured people were now seeking treatment at the hospital.
Out of the 13 patients, two of them sustained serious injuries and were being monitored for "major emergencies" such as limb fractures and joint dislocation.
The remaining 11 sustained minor injuries of sprains and minor head injuries.
Ng Teng Fong General Hospital senior manager for communication Aaron Loh said the patients were still being assessed and their details were still being coordinated with the authorities such as the Singapore Ministry of Transport.
"The identities and nationalities of the patients have not been determined.
"The Transport Ministry is expected to issue a statement as well," said Loh when at the hospital.
The incident was only the second major MRT accident to have occurred in the MRT's 30-year history.
The last time that Singapore MRT trains collided was in Aug 5, 1993 when two trains at the Clementi station collided and injured 156 commuters.
An independent inquiry panel had later found that the accident was caused by a 50l oil spill from a maintenance locomotive which had been doing maintenance hours along the MRT track before the collision.
Meanwhile, commuters recalled the chaos of being thrown to the floor and confusion when the two trains hit each other.
Service coordinator Alexandru Robu, 35, said he was on the westbound train on the East-West Line when it collided with a stalled train in front of the one he was onboard.
He said many passengers lost their balance and fell on the floor.
"I've experienced sudden stops before on the MRT, but this time it was really bad," Robu told Singapore's The Straits Times.
He said most of the passengers including him were thrown to the floor but he was unhurt.
He said he saw another passenger in his 30s who was lying on the floor even when passengers around him stood up.
"I went up to him and apparently he had hit his head and had a back injury. So I held his hand and talked to him," he said.
Robu said the train remained at the same position for 20 minutes. Other passengers asked SMRT staff to open the doors of the first coach to allow them to exit to the platform.
Robu said that the SMRT staff later instructed passengers to evacuate from the driver's coach and all of them did so one at a time.
He said the injured man in his 30s was helped by three commuters, and put into a wheelchair was taken away on an ambulance.
Another commuter Eddy Ong, 43, said the train he was onboard was travelling at a very slow speed as it approached the Joo Koon MRT station.
“When it was nearing the Joo Koon station, we all heard a loud bang and everyone who was standing fell to the ground,” he told the Today newspaper.
Ong said some passengers hit themselves against railings in the train.
He sustained bruises on his left knee and arm.
“A while later, as I was in the first cabin, we heard some passengers knocking on the driver’s door to tell the driver (that) there was someone injured . The driver said on the speaker system that help was on the way," said Ong.