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During an intense fight scene in the movie Tenet that was being screened in a Shaw Theaters room in the Nex Mall, the audience could hear a strange crumbling noise coming from above.
Some of them thought it was part of the sound effects, but for two viewers, the reality was a painful experience.
The two women were injured when a large ventilation shaft detached from the ceiling and landed near them.
One of them escaped with small bruises, but the other was seriously injured after a large chunk of plaster rubble hit his head.
Both women were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), where the injured woman remained in custody yesterday after the other woman was discharged.
A TTSH spokesperson yesterday declined to reveal the woman’s condition and injuries, citing patient confidentiality.
The incident occurred around 4.45pm Sunday when the ventilation shaft, which was reported to weigh at least 100kg, fell from the ceiling in Room 6 of Shaw Theaters on the fourth level in the Nex shopping center in Upper Serangoon.
The chute, which according to the Chinese evening newspaper Lianhe Wanbao was about 1.2 meters long, crashed into three rows of seats, causing debris everywhere and customers fleeing through exits.
But 19-year-old full-time national military man Sebastian Koo stayed behind to tend to the injured woman, who was sitting behind him and his four male friends.
He told The Straits Times that he was alarmed to see that a large chunk of plaster rubble had hit his head.
Mr. Koo, who was trained in first aid as part of the Red Cross Youth in high school, said: “I was lying in the fetal position and holding my head, but I don’t think I saw bleeding and was conscious.”
Cinema staff offered him a glass of water and he was soon able to sit down, he added.
“I asked him if he was okay and he was able to answer my questions, although he complained that his head hurt a lot.”
One of his friends called the Singapore Civil Defense Force, while two others helped ensure that everyone evacuated the room and that no one was trapped under the rubble.
Koo said, “It was very instinctive for me to quickly snap out of my shock and make sure everyone was okay. I was so scared that I couldn’t help those around me,” he said.
Recalling the incident, he told ST that he had heard the noise from above during the movie.
“It was in the middle of an intense fight scene, so I thought it was just an extremely realistic sound effect,” he said.
But soon dust began to fall from the ceiling when it was opened, followed by the ventilation shaft falling to the floor with plaster debris from the ceiling.
Koo said it was fortunate that the chute, which was large enough to cover at least four seats, didn’t hit anyone, although two of his friends had minor scrapes due to debris hitting their heads.
Some of the 20 customers who were watching Christopher Nolan’s latest mind-blowing thriller also had scrapes from being hit by the debris.
About 50 customers from other aisles were also evacuated by Shaw staff, who wrote down their contact details for ticket refunds.
A spokesperson for Shaw Theaters said its staff cared for injured patrons until paramedics arrived.
Apologizing for the incident, the spokesman wished injured customers a speedy recovery.
“Our priority at this time is to provide support to our injured clients and their families. We are in contact with one family and have communicated with the other,” he said.
Cinemas will be closed until further notice pending investigations.
Meanwhile, the incident has made headlines abroad, including in Hollywood’s Variety trade magazine.
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