Driver, family escape as lightning strikes ground in front of car
Mr Gabriel Tan had to contend with heavy rain - and an unexpected explosion - when he took his son to a childcare centre yesterday.
He was driving past a multistorey carpark in Bukit Batok West when he saw a lightning bolt strike the ground in front of his car.
"If I had accelerated, my car could have been struck (by the bolt) or hit by the flying bricks," Mr Tan, 34, an oil and gas trader, told The Straits Times.
"Fortunately, we were all safe," he said, adding that he managed to stop the car in time.
The blast at the entrance of a carpark opposite Block 439B sent bricks hurtling skywards and unsealed a manhole cover.
The incident, captured on Mr Tan's dashboard camera at about 8.40am, has been shared multiple times on WhatsApp.
Mr Tan, who lives in the estate, said his wife, who works in the IT industry, and toddler son were in the rear passenger seats.
"The sound of the impact of the strike was not exceptionally loud because my son continued watching cartoons in the car without being distracted," he said.
Hong Kah North MP Amy Khor told ST she understands there are telecommunications cables beneath the manhole.
"The incident caught many residents by surprise this morning," she said.
She added that the presence of staff from agencies such as Chua Chu Kang Town Council, PUB, City Gas and Singtel assured residents that the incident was being investigated.
"For the residents' safety, I asked the relevant authorities to check the various manholes in the vicinity. Before I left the site this morning, the authorities had started barricading and inspecting several manholes."
Dr Khor, who is Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment and Transport, said the town council will start reinstatement works as soon as possible.
It has cordoned off the affected lane to the carpark.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force told ST it received a call at 9.10am about a flash fire from a manhole at Block 439 Bukit Batok West.
It said the incident did not lead to a fire and there was no reported injury.
A spokesman said: "Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident is accidental in nature and investigations are ongoing."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now