SINGAPORE, Sept 24 — A 31-year-old Vietnamese woman died after a knife attack in Yishun this morning, following a dispute between neighbours over noise.

The woman and her husband were among three people taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), along with the alleged attacker, a 67-year-old man who has been arrested for murder, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

Police said preliminary investigations revealed the incident stemmed from a noise dispute between the couple and their neighbour.

“At around 7am, I heard screams and a commotion, so I went to level six to see what happened. That’s when I saw a woman lying unconscious near the lift. She had wounds all over her body and was completely drenched in blood,” said Koh, 69, a resident and business owner.

“The husband tried to fight the man off. But the man grabbed the husband from the back and stabbed him in the chest area. Then another resident tried to split them up by taking the knife from the man and kicking it away,” he told ST, adding that the husband had also shouted for help, asking if anyone knew CPR to assist his wife.

The woman was unconscious when paramedics arrived and later died at the hospital. 

Her husband and the alleged attacker were both conscious when taken to KTPH.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force received a call for assistance at Block 323 Yishun Central at 7.25am.

When reporters arrived at the scene around 8.50am, they saw eight police cars and bloodstains on the ground floor and sixth-floor lift lobby.

A knife, watch, mobile phone, car keys and a slipper were found on the bloodstained floor, and police cordoned off the entire sixth level.

Residents said the couple had lived in the estate for about two years, while the alleged attacker had been there longer.

Ismail, 65, a ninth-floor resident, said the dispute had been ongoing. “The couple usually keep to themselves, but I think the man was not happy with their children playing and making noise.”

Another resident, Othman Omar, 64, described the alleged attacker as someone who “cared for neighbours” and had recently shared dates and essential oils with his family.

Photos from the scene showed people tending to the injured woman and a man covered in blood sitting nearby.

The couple’s children, believed to be around two and five years old, were pulled to safety by a neighbour during the incident.

Singapore recorded 75 knife-related incidents in the first half of 2025, up from 59 in the same period last year.

Authorities amended the Community Disputes Resolution Act in 2024 to strengthen intervention powers and improve resolution of neighbour disputes, which are mostly noise-related, with around 2,500 complaints monthly.