SINGAPORE, July 30 — Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu has apologised for the sinkhole that formed on Tanjong Katong Road South, calling it a “serious incident” that “should not have happened.”

“On behalf of the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and PUB, I would like to extend my sincere apology to the injured driver for the injury suffered as well as for going through a harrowing experience,” she told reporters at the site on Monday evening, as reported by The Straits Times.

The sinkhole, which opened up near a PUB sewer-laying construction site on July 26, swallowed a car and injured its driver, who was later hospitalised with muscular pain. 

Fu said she understood the driver was still recovering in hospital.

She also apologised to residents, motorists and commuters affected by the road closure, and said her ministry has convened an internal panel to investigate the incident — a process expected to take several months. 

The panel will comprise individuals with a range of expertise and will also make recommendations to prevent future occurrences.

Asked if a burst water pipe nearby on July 25 might be linked to the sinkhole, she said, “all the available evidence will be studied and the findings reported.”

While refilling works have been completed, part of the road between Mountbatten Road and the East Coast Parkway remains closed. 

Fu said it may stay shut “perhaps for a few more days” as ground safety assessments are still ongoing. 

“We are going through a very thorough and rigorous safety assessment, and until we’re satisfied with that, we will not open the road,” she added.

PUB earlier said that a concrete caisson ring at the nearby worksite had failed around the same time the sinkhole formed at about 5.50pm. The cause of the failure remains unclear.

On July 28, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said it would carry out an independent investigation, which may also take several months. Fu said PUB would cooperate fully and that having both investigations would allow the authorities to “determine the causes of the incident in a more thorough and systematic manner.”

She acknowledged that some residents had complained about noise during the recovery works but said that pausing work at night would delay efforts to stabilise the area. 

“I hope that the residents will also understand that we want to do this quickly, to stabilise the situation, so that public safety is protected to its maximum,” she said.

Fu also visited the site and thanked workers Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah and Ganesan Veerasekar, who had helped rescue the driver from the vehicle after the collapse.