SINGAPORE — Four of the 26 foreign workers involved in an early Monday (Oct 30) morning accident between two lorries in Tuas were warded, with one of them, a Chinese national, admitted to the high dependency unit, though he is in stable condition.

The Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) said the other three warded come from China and Bangladesh.

All the affected workers, who are from Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar, were sent to the emergency department of Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) after the crash, which the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to at around 6.35am. But most of them received outpatient treatment and were discharged progressively through the day.

TODAY understands that the first lorry was waiting for the traffic lights to change at the junction of Tuas Crescent and Tuas South Avenue 5 when the second lorry came from behind and crashed into it. It was unclear which companies they work for.

Two people were trapped in one of the lorries and had to be rescued by firefighters using a hydraulic spreader, said the SCDF.

When asked, NTFGH declined to share more information on the extent of the workers’ injuries.

When TODAY visited the hospital at around lunchtime, a group of about seven to eight workers were spotted leaving the emergency department and boarding a grey van at about 1.30pm. Some of the men, who appeared to be

Chinese nationals, were limping. One of them had to be helped out of a wheelchair by hospital staff.

They declined to speak to media when approached.

Police investigations are ongoing.

The MWC’s chairman Yeo Guat Kwang said the employers of the affected workers have agreed to provide all the necessary guarantees for their workers’ treatment.

“We have also advised the employer that as the accident might fall under the definitions of a workplace injury, it would be advisable to submit the necessary accident reports and work injury compensation filings for the Ministry of Manpower’s consideration,” he said. “We understand the employer will be seeing to all necessary paperwork once they have seen to all hospital requirements.”

Earlier this month, at least five foreign workers were taken to hospital after a lorry they were in skidded and fell on its side along the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE).

The accident, which occurred after Jurong Town Hall Road city-bound, resulted in five passengers being sent conscious to NTFGH. In that incident, one of the foreign workers suffered a fracture, while the others felt dizzy and suffered swelling.