Piece of facade wall falls off 11 storeys from HDB block at Macpherson

A slab of the roof-wall in a housing block in MacPherson fell 11 storeys in the early morning of Wednesday (19 Oct)..

According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident happened about 6am at Block 51, Circuit Road.

Although the slab measured about 4 metres by 2 metres, fortunately, no one was injured.

Lin Yafu, a 78-year-old hawker resident, reportedly said that he heard a loud crash amongst the rain with strong winds.

He said: “I looked out the window and saw a big hole in the opposite roof. The wall, which had been installed on the outside of the elevator trough, was dropped in the middle of the road more than ten meters away.”

Lin Yafu added, “Fortunately it was still early, no pedestrians on the road.”

A spokesman from Housing Development Board (HDB) said the Marine Parade Town Council (MPTC) had been notified of the matter on Wednesday.

He said that the fallen piece of the facade wall was a non-structural Calcium Silicate Cladding Board.

The town council said it will begin the repair works and investigate the nearby blocks that are similarly designed, together with HDB.

The Building & Construction Authority also has dispatched engineers to the scene for investigation.

MPTC said, residents with any queries are advised to call the town council directly.

MacPherson SMC MP Tin Pei Ling also told Shin Min that the structural integrity of the HDB block was not compromised.

It is understood that the area undergoes repair and redecoration works every seven years.

The fallen facade had been put up about 20 years ago, during a lift renewal exercise.

Ms Tin said: “I hope the authorities consider revamping these few blocks in the near future.”