When a massive sinkhole suddenly opened along Tanjong Katong Road South on Saturday (July 26), panic could have easily taken over, but not for Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah.
The 46-year-old foreman, originally from India and now working in Singapore for over two decades, heard a loud noise while on duty at a nearby construction site. What he witnessed next would require both quick action and calm leadership.
A car had plunged into the sinkhole. Without hesitation, Mr Subbiah rushed over to check and spotted a woman trying to get out of the vehicle. Thankfully, she was safe and dry but trapped.
“I immediately said we had to rescue her,” said Mr Subbiah, who spoke to reporters in both Tamil and English. Some workers were ready to jump in, but he quickly stopped them. “You go down, you also cannot climb up,” he cautioned.
@mothershipsg Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, 46, recounts how he and three other workers rescued the female driver who had fallen into the sinkhole. #sgnews #PUB #tiktoksg #singapore #sinkhole ♬ original sound - Mothership
Instead, he directed them to throw a nylon rope into the sinkhole, a move that helped pull the woman to safety in just five minutes. Afterwards, he even lent her his phone so she could call her daughter.
“I was scared,” he admitted. “But the only thing that mattered in that moment was saving her. We had to act fast. We had to save a life.”
His actions didn’t go unnoticed. Singapore’s Civil Defence Force (SCDF) praised the workers for their bravery and confirmed they would be reaching out to commend their heroic response.
For Mr Subbiah and the team from Ohin Construction, this wasn’t about recognition, it was about humanity. “No matter what happened, someone had fallen in. That’s all that mattered.”
In a world often caught up in headlines, this quiet moment of courage reminds us of something far greater: when compassion leads the way, heroes emerge in everyday places.
Source / Image Credit : channelnewsasia , Mothership