The Hotel New World emergency (Chinese: 新世界酒店坍塌事件 ; Malay: Tragedi Hotel New World runtuh) occurred on 15 March 1986, and was Singapore's deadliest civil disaster [1] since the Spyros disaster of 12 October 1978. The six-story building situated at the junction of Serangoon Road and Owen Road rapidly collapsed, trapping 50 people beneath the rubble. 17 were rescued, while 33 were killed.
Contents |
Although frequently referred to as the Hotel New World disaster, the building in question was actually known as the Lian Yak building (联谊大厦), a six-storey building with a basement garage and built in 1971. The Hotel New World, previously known as the New Serangoon Hotel until 1984, was the main tenant occupying the top three floors,[2] and a branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank (now merged with United Overseas Bank) took up the ground level. A nightclub, Universal Neptune Nite-Club and Restaurant, was also situated on the second level of the building at the time of the collapse.[3] The building had previously experienced a poisonous gas leak (which was caused by carbon monoxide) in some of the hotel rooms, first hitting the headlines on 30 August 1975, the day after the poisonous gas leak was reported.
On 15 March 1986, the building rapidly disintegrated in less than a minute at about 11:25 hours, leaving little time for anyone within it to make their escape. Witnesses reported hearing explosions prior to the collapse, but the police ruled out the possibility of a bomb attack. A gas explosion was thought to be a possible cause.[4]
The collapse was met with shock by many, including the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who was quoted as saying that "the collapse of such a building is unprecedented."[5]
Immediately after the collapse, as many as 300 were feared trapped underneath the debris.[6] Estimates dropped to 100 trapped or missing a day later,[7] and then to 60, including 26 hotel staff and 16 bank staff unaccounted for.[5] The figure was finally put at 50 when the official death toll was announced on 22 March 1986 after the end of the rescue effort.[8]
Amongst those killed, 23 were Singaporeans, and the other ten foreigners. A partial list of the deceased persons is as follows:
| Deceased | Nationality | Reason for being in building |
|---|---|---|
| Chew Sau Chun Angelia | Singaporean | Staff of Industrial and Commercial Bank |
| Durga Devi | Singaporean | Wife of Hotel New World watchman |
| Goh Kong Moh | Singaporean | Unidentified |
| Lai Chan Sou | Singaporean | Hotel New World guest |
| Lee Hock Boon | Singaporean | Hotel New World bellhop |
| Leong May Yin | Singaporean | Staff of Industrial and Commercial Bank |
| Ng Cheng Kee | Singaporean | Mistress of Hotel New World owner |
| Ng Khong Lim | Singaporean | Hotel New World owner |
| Nusret Mohmood Syed | Pakistani | Hotel New World guest |
| Nuzhat Hashim | Pakistani | Hotel New World guest |
| Png Eng Huat Richard | Singaporean | Hotel New World staff |
| Raji Ram Panday | Singaporean | Hotel New World watchman |
| Shaharuddin Zakaria | Singaporean | CISCO police constable guarding Industrial and Commercial Bank |
| Sit Ah Lak | Singaporean | Customer at Industrial and Commercial Bank branch |
| Soh Cheng Thum | Singaporean | Sub-contractor |
| Tan Lee Gek | Singaporean | Staff of Industrial and Commercial Bank |
| Yong Kum Yip | Singaporean | Hotel New World chambermaid |
After the collapse, many passers-by began to try pulling out survivors. They were soon joined by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the Police Task Force of the Singapore Police Force and the Singapore Armed Forces. A nearby business, Eagle Piano Company, became a center for the rescue operation.
As there were survivors buried in the rubble, the rescue was a delicate operation. Debris was carefully removed as power saws and drills cut through the rubble.
Sound detectors were used to locate survivors beneath the slabs by picking up faint moans and cries. In the first 12 hours, 9 people were rescued. At one time, LTC Lim Meng Kin, Chief Medical Officer, and several other SAF doctors and two Ministry of Health doctors took turns and crawled through narrow spaces inside the rubble in an effort to provide assistance to trapped survivors, giving glucose and saline drips to them.
Tunneling experts from Britain, Ireland, and Japan, led by Tony[9] Gallagher who were involved in the construction of the Mass Rapid Transit joined in the effort and helped rescue an additional eight survivors.
After the seven-day rescue operation, 17 people were rescued, but 33 people lost their lives. The last survivor, Chua Kim Choo, 30, was rescued on 18 March 1986, having survived after hiding beneath a table.[10]
An inquiry investigating the cause of the accident tested for many potential causes. Surviving sections of concrete were tested to ensure they were to proper construction standards, and it was found that they were. Even the construction work of the underground railway tunnelers who had assisted in the rescue was investigated, even though the excavations were more than 100 yards from the collapsed building. It was found they had no effect on the building's stability.
Also investigated were the various additions made to the building after its initial construction. Air conditioning systems had been constructed on the roof of the building, the bank had added a large safe, and ceramic tiles had been fixed to the building's exterior, all adding considerably to the building's weight.
It was found that the weight of these additions was inconsequential; however this line of investigation led to the discovery that the original structural engineer had made a serious error in calculating the building's dead load, the weight of the building itself. The structural engineer had calculated the building's live load, the weight of the building's potential inhabitants, furniture, fixtures and fittings. However the building's dead load was completely omitted from the calculation. This meant that the building as constructed could not support its own weight. Collapsing was only a matter of time and after the three different supporting columns had failed in the days before the disaster, the other columns, which took on the added weight no longer supported by the failed columns, could not support the building.
On 27 April 1986, the Government of Singapore honoured five individuals for their assistance in rescue efforts, including three from the Republic of Ireland, one from Britain, and a local Singaporean.[11] A dinner was also hosted by the government on 29 April 1986 for SMRT Corporation staff involved in the rescue effort with Dr. Yeo Ning Hong as Guest-of-Honour.
Following this disaster, buildings built in the 1970s were checked for structural faults, and some of them were declared structurally unsound and had to be evacuated, including then-Hwa Chong Junior College's main block. The government also introduced tighter regulations on building construction; since 1989, all structural designs are required to be counterchecked by Accredited Checkers.[12] The SCDF underwent a significant upgrade, in terms of training and equipment, to improve its readiness in performing complex rescue operations.
Five years after the collapse, construction work commenced on the site for a new seven-story hotel on 28 March 1991. The Fortuna Hotel opened with 85 rooms in 1994.[13]