SINGAPORE: Migrant workers who rescued a woman from a sinkhole in Tanjong Katong were honoured at a meet-and-greet event organised by migrant worker support group ItsRainingRaincoats on 10 August.
The event paid tribute to the selfless and courageous men who stepped in to save a female driver during the 26 July incident.
Those involved were Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbaiah, Sathapillai Rajendran, Anbazhagan Velmurugan, Poomalai Saravanan, Ganesan Veerasekar, Arumugam Chandisekaran, and Bose Ajithkumar.
The incident occurred at about 5.50pm when a concrete component in a 16-metre-deep shaft under construction by PUB failed.
The shaft was part of works to connect three existing sewer lines.
Around the same time, a sinkhole opened on the adjacent road, causing a car to plunge into it.
Site foreman Subbaiah and his team acted swiftly, pulling the female driver to safety using a rope within minutes.
Their quick thinking and bravery drew widespread praise, including from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who commended their actions in a Facebook post on 27 July.
ItsRainingRaincoats founder Dipa Swaminathan described the 10 August gathering as “a joyous and special morning” with the migrant workers.
During the event, the men received handwritten letters and small gifts from members of the public, along with a cheque for S$70,805.05 to be shared equally among them.
The funds were raised through a public fundraiser launched by ItsRainingRaincoats on 28 July to recognise their courage.
Speaking in a mix of Tamil and English, the workers expressed their gratitude to Singaporeans, describing the experience as surreal and saying their families back home were happy and proud, according to Mothership.
Ganesan Veerasekar, 32, praised Singaporeans as “honest and friendly” and said the outpouring of public support had been completely unexpected.
He explained that they had simply acted instinctively to save a life and added that he now considered Singapore his “second homeland”.
Most of the workers said they planned to send the money to their families, with some hoping to fund their children’s education.
Anbazhagan Velmurugan, 26, shared that he intended to use the money to repay loans, having paid over S$10,000 in agency fees to secure his job in Singapore, where he has worked for just a year and a half.
“This money split seven ways is not a large amount, but hopefully it will be very meaningful for them, and it’s just a small way for us to say thank you for what they’ve done,” Swaminathan said.
Several small businesses and individuals also attended the event to present the workers with cards, letters, and care packages.
Local food distributor SP Muthiah & Sons brought bundles containing essentials such as rice and oil, along with snacks from India, in the hope of providing “the warmth of home” with familiar products.
Others contributed cakes, muffins, and FairPrice vouchers.
The men had also been presented with the SCDF Community Lifesaver Award on 6 August at an appreciation lunch hosted by the Marine Parade Citizens’ Consultative Committee.
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