Hotel New World disaster
Encyclopedia
The Hotel New World emergency (Chinese
: 新世界酒店坍塌事件 ; Malay
: Tragedi Hotel New World runtuh) occurred on 15 March 1986, and was Singapore
's deadliest civil disaster
since the Spyros disaster
of 12 October 1978. The six-story building situated at the junction of Serangoon Road
and Owen Road rapidly collapsed, trapping 50 people beneath the rubble. 17 were rescued, while 33 were killed.
) took up the ground level. A nightclub, Universal Neptune Nite-Club and Restaurant, was also situated on the second level of the building at the time of the collapse. The building had previously experienced a poisonous gas leak (which was caused by carbon monoxide) in some of the hotel rooms, first hitting the headlines on 30 August 1975, the day after the poisonous gas leak was reported.
The collapse was met with shock by many, including the then Prime Minister
Lee Kuan Yew
, who was quoted as saying that "the collapse of such a building is unprecedented."
Amongst those killed, 23 were Singaporeans, and the other ten foreigners. A partial list of the deceased persons is as follows:
(SCDF), the Police Task Force
of the Singapore Police Force
and the Singapore Armed Forces
. A nearby business, Eagle Piano Company, became a center for the rescue operation.
As there were survivors buried in the rubble, the rescue was a delicate operation. Debris was carefully removed as power saws and drills cut through the rubble.
Sound detectors were used to locate survivors beneath the slabs by picking up faint moans and cries. In the first 12 hours, 9 people were rescued. At one time, LTC Lim Meng Kin, Chief Medical Officer, and several other SAF doctors and two Ministry of Health doctors took turns and crawled through narrow spaces inside the rubble in an effort to provide assistance to trapped survivors, giving glucose and saline drips to them.
Tunneling experts from Britain, Ireland
, and Japan
, led by Tony Gallagher who were involved in the construction of the Mass Rapid Transit
joined in the effort and helped rescue an additional eight survivors.
After the seven-day rescue operation, 17 people were rescued, but 33 people lost their lives. The last survivor, Chua Kim Choo, 30, was rescued on 18 March 1986, having survived after hiding beneath a table.
Also investigated were the various additions made to the building after its initial construction. Air conditioning
systems had been constructed on the roof of the building, the bank had added a large safe, and ceramic tiles had been fixed to the building's exterior, all adding considerably to the building's weight.
It was found that the weight of these additions was inconsequential; however this line of investigation led to the discovery that the original structural engineer had made a serious error in calculating the building's dead load, the weight of the building itself. The structural engineer had calculated the building's live load, the weight of the building's potential inhabitants, furniture, fixtures and fittings. However the building's dead load was completely omitted from the calculation. This meant that the building as constructed could not support its own weight. Collapsing was only a matter of time and after the three different supporting columns had failed in the days before the disaster, the other columns, which took on the added weight no longer supported by the failed columns, could not support the building.
honoured five individuals for their assistance in rescue efforts, including three from the Republic of Ireland
, one from Britain
, and a local Singaporean. A dinner was also hosted by the government on 29 April 1986 for SMRT Corporation
staff involved in the rescue effort with Dr. Yeo Ning Hong as Guest-of-Honour.
Following this disaster, buildings built in the 1970s were checked for structural faults, and some of them were declared structurally unsound and had to be evacuated, including then-Hwa Chong Junior College
's main block. The government also introduced tighter regulations on building construction; since 1989, all structural designs are required to be counterchecked by Accredited Checkers. The SCDF
underwent a significant upgrade, in terms of training and equipment, to improve its readiness in performing complex rescue operations.
Five years after the collapse, construction work commenced on the site for a new seven-story hotel on 28 March 1991. The Fortuna Hotel opened with 85 rooms in 1994.
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
: 新世界酒店坍塌事件 ; Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
: Tragedi Hotel New World runtuh) occurred on 15 March 1986, and was Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
's deadliest civil disaster
Disaster
A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...
since the Spyros disaster
Spyros disaster
The Spyros disaster was a major industrial disaster that occurred in Singapore. The Greek tanker Spyros exploded at Jurong Shipyard in Singapore on October 12, 1978. It killed 76 people, and remains as Singapore's worst accident, in terms of lives lost, in Singapore's post-war history...
of 12 October 1978. The six-story building situated at the junction of Serangoon Road
Serangoon Road
Serangoon Road is a road from Little India to Boon Keng of Singapore . There is another road, from Woodsville Interchange to Sengkang called Upper Serangoon Road.Another way is via Jalan Besar and Bendemeer Road....
and Owen Road rapidly collapsed, trapping 50 people beneath the rubble. 17 were rescued, while 33 were killed.
Background
Although frequently referred to as the Hotel New World disaster, the building in question was actually known as the Lian Yak building (联谊大厦), a six-story building with a basement garage and built in 1971. The Hotel New World, previously known as the New Serangoon Hotel until 1984, was the main tenant occupying the top three floors, and a branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank (now merged with United Overseas BankUnited Overseas Bank
United Overseas Bank Limited , abbreviated as UOB is a bank incorporated in Singapore. It was founded 6 August 1935 by Kuching-born Datuk Wee Kheng Chiang, father of the present United Overseas Bank Group Chairman, Mr...
) took up the ground level. A nightclub, Universal Neptune Nite-Club and Restaurant, was also situated on the second level of the building at the time of the collapse. The building had previously experienced a poisonous gas leak (which was caused by carbon monoxide) in some of the hotel rooms, first hitting the headlines on 30 August 1975, the day after the poisonous gas leak was reported.
Collapse
On 15 March 1986, the building rapidly disintegrated in less than a minute at about 11:25 hours, leaving little time for anyone within it to make their escape. Witnesses reported hearing explosions prior to the collapse, but the police ruled out the possibility of a bomb attack. A gas explosion was thought to be a possible cause.The collapse was met with shock by many, including the then Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
, who was quoted as saying that "the collapse of such a building is unprecedented."
Casualties
Immediately after the collapse, as many as 300 were feared trapped underneath the debris. Estimates dropped to 100 trapped or missing a day later, and then to 60, including 26 hotel staff and 16 bank staff unaccounted for. The figure was finally put at 50 when the official death toll was announced on 22 March 1986 after the end of the rescue effort.Amongst those killed, 23 were Singaporeans, and the other ten foreigners. A partial list of the deceased persons is as follows:
| Deceased | Nationality | Reason for being in building |
|---|---|---|
| Chew Sau Chun Angelia | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Staff of Industrial and Commercial Bank |
| Durga Devi | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Wife of Hotel New World watchman |
| Goh Kong Moh | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Unidentified |
| Lai Chan Sou | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Hotel New World guest |
| Lee Hock Boon | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Hotel New World bellhop |
| Leong May Yin | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Staff of Industrial and Commercial Bank |
| Ng Cheng Kee | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Mistress of Hotel New World owner |
| Ng Khong Lim | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Hotel New World owner |
| Nusret Mohmood Syed | Pakistani Pakistan Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan... |
Hotel New World guest |
| Nuzhat Hashim | Pakistani Pakistan Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan... |
Hotel New World guest |
| Png Eng Huat Richard | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Hotel New World staff |
| Raji Ram Panday | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Hotel New World watchman |
| Shaharuddin Zakaria | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
CISCO police constable guarding Industrial and Commercial Bank |
| Sit Ah Lak | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Customer at Industrial and Commercial Bank branch |
| Soh Cheng Thum | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Sub-contractor |
| Tan Lee Gek | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Staff of Industrial and Commercial Bank |
| Yong Kum Yip | Singaporean Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Hotel New World chambermaid |
Rescue
After the collapse, many passers-by began to try pulling out survivors. They were soon joined by the Singapore Civil Defence ForceSingapore Civil Defence Force
The Singapore Civil Defence Force is the main agency in charge of the provision of emergency services in Singapore during peacetime and emergency.A uniformed organisation under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the main role of SCDF is to provide...
(SCDF), the Police Task Force
Police Tactical Unit (Singapore)
The Police Tactical Unit is a paramilitary specialist unit of the Singapore Police Force and comes under the direct command of the Special Operations Command. Based in Queenstown, it is the main anti-rioting and disaster-management unit of the police force. They are also called upon to handle...
of the Singapore Police Force
Singapore Police Force
The Singapore Police Force is the main agency tasked with maintaining law and order in the city-state. Formerly known as the Republic of Singapore Police , it has grown from an 11-man organisation to a 38,587 strong force...
and the Singapore Armed Forces
Singapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of the Republic of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
. A nearby business, Eagle Piano Company, became a center for the rescue operation.
As there were survivors buried in the rubble, the rescue was a delicate operation. Debris was carefully removed as power saws and drills cut through the rubble.
Sound detectors were used to locate survivors beneath the slabs by picking up faint moans and cries. In the first 12 hours, 9 people were rescued. At one time, LTC Lim Meng Kin, Chief Medical Officer, and several other SAF doctors and two Ministry of Health doctors took turns and crawled through narrow spaces inside the rubble in an effort to provide assistance to trapped survivors, giving glucose and saline drips to them.
Tunneling experts from Britain, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, led by Tony Gallagher who were involved in the construction of the Mass Rapid Transit
Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
The Mass Rapid Transit or MRT is a rapid transit system that forms the backbone of the railway system in Singapore, spanning the entire city-state. The initial section of the MRT, between Yio Chu Kang Station and Toa Payoh Station, opened in 1987 establishing itself as the second-oldest metro...
joined in the effort and helped rescue an additional eight survivors.
After the seven-day rescue operation, 17 people were rescued, but 33 people lost their lives. The last survivor, Chua Kim Choo, 30, was rescued on 18 March 1986, having survived after hiding beneath a table.
Inquiry
An inquiry investigating the cause of the accident tested for many potential causes. Surviving sections of concrete were tested to ensure they were to proper construction standards, and it was found that they were. Even the construction work of the underground railway tunnelers who had assisted in the rescue was investigated, even though the excavations were more than 100 yards from the collapsed building. It was found they had no effect on the building's stability.Also investigated were the various additions made to the building after its initial construction. Air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
systems had been constructed on the roof of the building, the bank had added a large safe, and ceramic tiles had been fixed to the building's exterior, all adding considerably to the building's weight.
It was found that the weight of these additions was inconsequential; however this line of investigation led to the discovery that the original structural engineer had made a serious error in calculating the building's dead load, the weight of the building itself. The structural engineer had calculated the building's live load, the weight of the building's potential inhabitants, furniture, fixtures and fittings. However the building's dead load was completely omitted from the calculation. This meant that the building as constructed could not support its own weight. Collapsing was only a matter of time and after the three different supporting columns had failed in the days before the disaster, the other columns, which took on the added weight no longer supported by the failed columns, could not support the building.
Aftermath
On 27 April 1986, the Government of SingaporeGovernment of Singapore
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...
honoured five individuals for their assistance in rescue efforts, including three from the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, one from Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and a local Singaporean. A dinner was also hosted by the government on 29 April 1986 for SMRT Corporation
SMRT Corporation
SMRT Corporation is a public transport operator incorporated on March 6, 2000, as a result of an industry overhaul to form multi-modal public-transport operators in Singapore. It is the second-largest public-transport company in Singapore after ComfortDelGro...
staff involved in the rescue effort with Dr. Yeo Ning Hong as Guest-of-Honour.
Following this disaster, buildings built in the 1970s were checked for structural faults, and some of them were declared structurally unsound and had to be evacuated, including then-Hwa Chong Junior College
Hwa Chong Junior College
Hwa Chong Junior College was a junior college in Singapore offering pre-university education. The college was founded in 1974 and merged with The Chinese High School on 1 January 2005 to form Hwa Chong Institution.-Founding:...
's main block. The government also introduced tighter regulations on building construction; since 1989, all structural designs are required to be counterchecked by Accredited Checkers. The SCDF
Singapore Civil Defence Force
The Singapore Civil Defence Force is the main agency in charge of the provision of emergency services in Singapore during peacetime and emergency.A uniformed organisation under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the main role of SCDF is to provide...
underwent a significant upgrade, in terms of training and equipment, to improve its readiness in performing complex rescue operations.
Five years after the collapse, construction work commenced on the site for a new seven-story hotel on 28 March 1991. The Fortuna Hotel opened with 85 rooms in 1994.
In Popular Culture and Media
- The disaster was enacted in the drama series Finishing Line (出人头地) in 1990 on MediaCorp TV Channel 8MediaCorp TV Channel 8MediaCorp Channel 8 is a 24-hour free-to-air Mandarin Chinese general entertainment television channel in Singapore...
. - On 3 June 2003, the disaster was featured in the first episode of True Courage on MediaCorp TV Channel 5MediaCorp TV Channel 5MediaCorp Channel 5 or Channel 5 is a 24-hour free-to-air English and Malay language television channel based in Singapore....
, with the Chinese version of True Courage (逆境勇者) on MediaCorp TV Channel 8MediaCorp TV Channel 8MediaCorp Channel 8 is a 24-hour free-to-air Mandarin Chinese general entertainment television channel in Singapore...
. - On 27 September 2005, Seconds From DisasterSeconds From Disaster-By original broadcast date:National Geographic Channel has broadcast many episodes under multiple titles. The title currently or most recently listed on the NGC Calendar is shown first...
portrayed the disaster in the episode Hotel Collapse Singapore. Instead of the actual site the program used an image of the area around 88 Syed Alwi Road (at the corner of Kampon Kapor Road) as the basis for a computer-generated reconstruction of the building and it's collapse. The episode was retelecast in Singapore on 16 September 2007 via StarHub TV.
External links
- Ministry of DefenseMinistry of Defence (Singapore)The Ministry of Defence is a ministry of the Government of Singapore entrusted with overseeing the national defence needs of the Republic of Singapore. It is the headquarters of the Singapore Armed Forces...
, Hotel New World 1986, accessed 11 Nov 2006. - Singapore Civil Defence ForceSingapore Civil Defence ForceThe Singapore Civil Defence Force is the main agency in charge of the provision of emergency services in Singapore during peacetime and emergency.A uniformed organisation under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the main role of SCDF is to provide...
, Collapse of Hotel New World, updated 6 Nov 2006, accessed 11 Nov 2006. - National Library BoardNational Library BoardThe National Library Board is a statutory board of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, Singapore...
, Hotel New World collapse, 2002, accessed 11 Nov 2006.