Man reportedly severed in two at Segar LRT station, relatives collapse in grief after identifying body
The man found dead at Bukit Panjang LRT’s Segar station on the morning of May 18 was reportedly severed in half after falling onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train.
When Shin Min Daily News arrived at the scene, the station had been cordoned off, with at least six police vehicles present.
Staff from a nearby coffee shop told Shin Min they had heard rumours that someone had fallen onto the tracks and died.
A white sheet could be seen on the tracks about 10m from the train platform, while a blue tent was placed 20m away. Guided by station staff, a large group of officers were seen investigating the tracks.
It is believed the victim was struck and dragged by the train.
At about 8.40am, personnel from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived to move the body away from the tracks and into the station for investigators to take photos and retrieve evidence.
According to Shin Min’s observations, the process took about 20 minutes, with the victim’s body reportedly severed into two parts.
Residents living nearby also witnessed the aftermath.
Madam Lin (transliteration), a 59-year-old housewife, told Shin Min she had been hanging laundry outside her flat when she saw a blue tent on the track. She later learned from the news what had happened and said she was shocked.
At about 9.15am, the body was loaded into a black vehicle and taken away as onlookers watched. The cordon around the station was removed at about 10am.
In response to Stomp’s queries, police said preliminary investigations revealed a man was seen falling onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train at about 5am.
The 68-year-old man was found motionless and pronounced dead at the scene. Police said foul play is not suspected and investigations are ongoing.
Relatives at LRT station seen sobbing
Two individuals believed to be the deceased’s next-of-kin were later seen arriving at the station and speaking with police officers.
The victim’s son was observed crying as officers led him from the platform to the first floor. According to Shin Min, he later broke down and collapsed to the ground, sobbing loudly and pounding his fists against a wall.
A woman believed to be the deceased’s wife was helped onto a stretcher by paramedics and taken away in an ambulance.
She appeared distraught and was seen holding her forehead as she was conveyed to hospital.
In response to Stomp’s queries, SCDF said it received a call for assistance at about 6.25am. A person was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic, while another was conveyed to Woodlands Hospital.
Train passengers face delays, businesses suffer losses
Train services between the Senja and Bukit Panjang stations were disrupted for about four hours following the incident.
According to Shin Min, some commuters only found out about the disruption upon arriving at their LRT stations, but were unaware that someone had fallen onto the tracks.
A 57-year-old commuter, Madam Zhang (transliteration), said she had planned to travel from Bangkit to Teck Whye station but had to take a bus instead, causing her to arrive about 20 minutes late.
Some commuters reportedly experienced delays of up to half an hour.
The owner of a bakery behind Segar station also told Shin Min that the disruption resulted in losses of several hundred dollars due to reduced foot traffic.
Timeline of the disruption
In a Facebook post at 6am, train operator SMRT Corporation announced a “major delay” with no train services between Senja and Bukit Panjang stations.
At 6.52am, SMRT updated that services betwen Senja and Petir were disrupted “due to a track intrusion” and announced free bus services.
Another update at 7.08am stated that train services between Petir and Senja had been suspended to allow police access to the tracks for investigations.
In a statement issued at 10.17am, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai said the man who was seen to have fallen onto the tracks has been pronounced dead by SCDF paramedics and that train services between Petir and Senja had resumed.
By 10.41am, services between Senja and Bukit Panjang stations had returned to normal.
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