Man, 40, dies after lorry ferrying migrant workers crashes at Tuas, driver, 41, arrested

A lorry ferrying migrant workers met with an accident at the junction of Tuas South Avenue 9 and Tuas Nexus Drive on Dec. 15 at approximately 9am.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and police told Mothership they were alerted to an accident at 9:10am.

The accident resulted in a 40-year-old male lorry passenger being pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic.

Two other male lorry passengers, aged 26 and 29, were conveyed to the National University Hospital.

Police confirmed that the lorry was the sole vehicle involved in the accident.

Photos sent to Mothership by a reader showed two men lying on the pavement next to the road, visibly bloodied.

Another photo showed them being attended to by SCDF personnel.

Blood could also be seen splattered on the back of the lorry and on a pair of shoes.

Another photo showed a worker lying at the back of the lorry as a man in a blue shirt surveyed the scene.

The lorry appeared to have been carrying a large metal container.

A 41-year-old male lorry driver was arrested for careless driving without due care and attention, causing death.

Investigations are ongoing.

Practice of ferrying workers in lorries

The act of ferrying migrant workers in lorries is not uncommon in Singapore, but has long been a key concern highlighted by migrant worker groups, businesses, parliamentarians, and the workers themselves.

In 2023, migrant worker rights groups called for a timeline to be set for the transportation of workers on lorries to be banned.

However, a complete transition to using buses, as opposed to lorries, is unlikely, said Senior Minister of State Amy Khor in Parliament in July 2023, citing logistical challenges.

She said "there are insufficient private buses to meet the needs across various sectors" and that a "full transition to transportation via buses" would require at least a doubling of the number of large private buses today.

"This will have knock-on effects on the rest of society, including more congestion."

A joint statement in August 2024, issued by the Ministry of Transport and several other industry associations, also addressed the call for a ban.

The statement also highlighted existing measures — such as mandating that the front passenger seat must be occupied before the rear deck can be used and requiring lorries to have higher side railings  — which have improved safety and reduced the risks posed to workers.

The statement pointed out that these measures have yielded positive results, with fatalities from road accidents involving lorry passengers decline from 6 per cent annually (2013-2017) to 3 per cent (2018-2022).

The statement also reiterated the government's commitment to improving safety for all road users, and for efforts to remain evidence-based.

There have also been other safety measures implemented, like mandating speed limiters on lorries.

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Top image from Mothership reader