Six people injured as two shophouses collapse in Singapore's Little India

Singapore: Six people were injured when two shophouses partially collapsed on Tuesday morning in the Little India precinct of Singapore.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in a Facebook post on Tuesday said it was alerted to an incident involving two two-storey units around 1.30 a.m. at 84 and 85 Syed Alwi Road near the popular Mustafa shopping complex.

"Upon arrival, SCDF immediately commenced a search of the area to ascertain if anyone was trapped under the debris. Two search dogs and a drone were also deployed to augment the search operation," said SCDF.

Firefighters used a ladder to rescue a person from the second floor of the affected shophouse unit as he could not be evacuated due to a blocked staircase.

Two people were assessed by paramedics for minor injuries and sent to the hospital, the SCDF said.

Another four, assessed for minor injuries, declined to go to the hospital.

"As some passersby had reportedly heard a loud blast during the incident, a firefighting machine was deployed as a precautionary measure to disperse any potential buildup of flammable gases using its water mist spray function."

No one was found trapped under the debris, said SCDF.

According to checks on Google Maps, 84 Syed Alwi Road houses Paakashala Singapore, an Indian vegetarian restaurant, while No 85 houses Nirja Mega Mart, retailing groceries and vegetables.

Paakashala sustained significant damages with wires seen hanging from the ceiling and the outdoor tent bent out of shape, according to a Channel News Asia report.