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SINGAPORE – More details and photos are emerging of the incident at a cinema in the Nex shopping center that left two women injured when a ventilation duct fell from the ceiling on Sunday afternoon (August 30).
In an email, Straits Times reader Johnny Quek said that his 19-year-old son, Jeffrey, was at Shaw Theaters Hall 6 where the accident occurred.
The full-time military man was with his four male friends when they heard a loud crack in the middle of an intense fight scene in the movie Tenet.
Thinking they were just sound effects, they initially ignored it.
Suddenly, a unit of ducts, with the pipe still connected, detached itself from the ceiling and headed towards them. Two of the men were hit in the head by falling debris but were not seriously injured.
Mr. Quek said that his son, who is back at the camp, had told him about the incident.
“When they looked up, they saw the crack in the roof and the vent pipe swinging towards them,” Mr. Quek told ST.
While they had escaped with only bruises, others around them were not so lucky.
The group of five, comprising four full-time national military personnel and a polytechnic student, immediately went into action.
One of the men, who is trained in first aid, treated a young woman who had suffered a head injury.
Mr. Jeffrey Quek and his friends also searched under the rubble to make sure no one was trapped underneath. The duct unit is wide enough to cover about four cinema seats.
In photos posted on the Mustsharenews website, the displaced unit can be seen sprawled out on multiple movie seats.
Other images show first responders and paramedics from the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) caring for the wounded. One client can be seen lying on the floor, while another is on a stretcher.
All movie theaters were subsequently evacuated, and the staff wrote down the names and contact details of customers so that they could be reimbursed for tickets.
A Shaw Theaters spokesman said the conduit was cleared around 4:45 p.m. He added that theater staff treated injured patrons until paramedics arrived.
“Our priority is to provide support to our injured customers,” the spokesperson said, adding that the company is working with owner Gold Ridge and authorities to investigate the incident.
SCDF said it had received a call for help around 4:45 pm Two women were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and SCDF said no one else was injured.
ST understands that one of the injured women may have an internal head injury.
A spokesperson for the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said one of its engineers was dispatched to investigate the incident at 6.30pm.
Meanwhile, Shaw Theaters in Nex have been ordered to close their theaters pending further investigation.
“BCA has also instructed the building owner to appoint a professional engineer to carry out a detailed investigation of the incident, inspect and assess the condition of the other ducts in the theater, and recommend any remedial measures to be taken. out the owner of the building. “, added the spokesman.
A patron, who wanted to be known only as Ms. Vivian, was watching Tenet’s movie with her family in another movie theater when the accident happened.
“The lights came on suddenly for a few minutes, but the movie was still playing, so we thought it was nothing serious. But when the projection suddenly stopped, some people got a little angry and things got a little chaotic.
“Over time, the staff told us to evacuate,” said the 24-year-old who works for a bank.
“We are very shocked by the incident and will probably not dare to visit that particular cinema (on Nex) in the future, but I really hope the injured are well,” he added.
ST had arrived at the venue at 7pm on Sunday.
Viewers were turned away and received coupons to watch their shows at another theater.
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