A 17-year-old teen died after a basketball hoop structure in Bedok South fell on him on Monday night (26 July).
The police said that they received a call about the incident at 8.45pm. The teen was found injured next to the fallen structure at a basketball court near Block 18 Bedok South Road.
Speaking to The Straits Times (ST), the police noted that the 17-year-old male teenager was unconscious when taken to Changi General Hospital, and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) was performed on him while on the way to the hospital.
The boy subsequently died from his injuries, said the police.
ST also reported that Deputy Prime Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for East Coast GRC Heng Swee Keat was spotted at the scene of the incident earlier today at around 11.45am.
It was said that Mr Heng had visited the family of the victim to offer assistance.
East Coast Town Council to conduct thorough check on integrity of all structures at the basketball court
Following the incident, the East Coast Town Council took to its Facebook page on Tuesday (27 July) expressing that it is deeply saddened by the incident.
“Based on the initial information received, a basketball hoop structure had collapsed and fell onto one of the users of the court,” it explained.
The town council noted that the basketball court has been closed with immediate effect so as to “conduct thorough check on the integrity of all structures there” for the safety of the residents.
“Our heart goes out to the victim and his family. We will work closely with the relevant agencies to provide support and assistance to them,” it added.
While police investigations are ongoing, the town council appealed for witnesses of the incident to contact Bedok Police Division at 1800-244-0000.
“The Town Council is also cooperating with the police in the investigations,” it stated.
“Wake up call for town councils to do period checks on their estates”, says a netizen
Over on social media, many netizens who commented on Channel NewsAsia and TODAY’s Facebook posts on the matter expressed their condolences to the family of the victim. They also argued that the incident could have been prevented if thorough inspection of the facilities were conducted regularly.
One netizen said that the unfortunate incident ought to be a “wake up call” for all town councils to conduct regular checks on their estates, and not only doing so after an accident happened.
Another netizen wrote: “[Don’t] wait for something to happen then start to make checks on the integrity of all the [structures] in the Estate. Such checks should be carried out regularly to ensure they [don’t] pose danger to the residents.”
A couple others recalled the previous incident on 13 June where two teenagers received an electric shock from a lamp post in Toa Payoh, noting that these incidents could have been avoided if town councils conduct regular stringent checks on their estates.
“Please do something and assure the public that our children can play safely in the neighborhood!” said one commenter.
A few others demand more explanation from the town council with regards to the incident, asking if the town council had received complaints about the basketball hoop structure prior to the incident.
