An Indian national was crushed to death by a massive tree he was trying to clear, when it came down on top of his excavator at the site of the future Caldecott MRT interchange on Sunday afternoon.
The tree, located in a forested area along Thomson Road near the existing Caldecott MRT station, was 10 metres tall and 1.5 metres thick.
Workers on the site said the victim, known only as Gunasegaran, was working with three others at the time to make the tree fall, by loosening the soil around it. But it crashed down in his direction, and while his colleagues on the ground fled in time, Mr. Gunasegaran was trapped inside the excavator, which was in a shallow pit.
The body of the 36-year old worker could only be extricated from the wreckage two hours later. A spokesman for the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said officers had to level the ground and use another excavator and cutting equipment to cut off parts of the tree to rescue him. He suffered spinal and neck injuries.
Mr. Gunasegaran leaves his wife and two daughters aged six and two, who live in Sirkali in Tamil Nadu, India.
The Ministry of Manpower has ordered stoppage of work at the site for investigations.
