SINGAPORE – A 17-year-old girl and a 57-year-old woman died after an accident involving six vehicles in Tampines on the morning of April 22.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said eight people were taken to hospital – four to Changi General Hospital, two to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and two to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

The police and SCDF said they were alerted to the accident at about 7.05am. It occurred at the junction of Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4 and involved four cars, a van and a mini bus.

Various posts on social media said Temasek Junior College (TJC) student Afifah Munirah Muhammad Azril, a passenger in one of the cars, was one of the fatalities, and her family later confirmed she had died in the accident. The second fatality was a 57-year-old female passenger in the van.

In a video of the accident’s lead-up posted on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook group, a black car can be seen travelling at high speed past at least three vehicles. Moments later, the crash site at the junction is shown.

Photos of the accident’s aftermath show a black car turned turtle with its doors flung open in the middle of the road. Another black car appears to be badly damaged, with its windscreen shattered and front bumper completely detached.

Debris from the crash is also scattered across the road.

Afifah, a first-year student at TJC, which is located at 2 Tampines Avenue 9, was on the way to take part in the annual TJC Road Run when the accident occurred. The students had assembled at Temasek Polytechnic before heading to Bedok Reservoir for the run.

In response to queries, TJC principal Liu Earnler said: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our students.

“The school has been in touch with the family of the student, and will render additional support to students and staff who may be affected by this incident during this difficult period.”

It is believed the 57-year-old woman who died was in a van belonging to pest control firm First Choice Pest, located at 9002 Tampines Street 93.

The company declined comment when contacted by ST.

Both victims were unconscious when taken to hospital, where they subsequently died.

The SCDF said a person was lying on the road with one leg trapped under the wheel of a car, and that its personnel used hydraulic rescue equipment to free the person.

A few members of the public, including a nurse and two off-duty SCDF officers, helped the injured after the accident, SCDF said, and the force will be commending them for their public spiritedness.

The police said three male car drivers, aged between 42 and 48, a 64-year-old man behind the wheel of the van, an 11-year-old male car passenger, and an 11-year-old male mini bus passenger were taken conscious to hospital.

A 42-year-old female car driver and a 39-year-old man, who was also a passenger in the van, sought medical attention on their own at a hospital later.

The 42-year-old male car driver is assisting with police investigations.

A resident who lives near the area told ST that she was driving towards Tampines from Bedok Reservoir after dropping her children off at school, and passed the accident site at around 8.30am.

The resident, who is in her 40s and wanted to be known only as Ms Chew, said she returned to the site at around 8.45am to see what had happened.

She said she saw around six vehicles that appeared to have been involved in the accident. This included one car that turned turtle, and another car that seemed to have hit a lamp post, as well as a mini bus and van that were facing the opposite direction from the other vehicles.

One car had crashed into a road divider, she added.

“I had heard on the radio about congestion and was alarmed to see the severity of the accident. I just hope the drivers and passengers are okay.”

St Hilda’s Primary School pupil Ng Ying Chen said he was on his way to school when he got caught in a traffic jam.

“A journey that usually takes 10 minutes became 30 minutes, and we had to detour because the road was inaccessible due to several vehicles blocking the road,” the 10-year-old said.

He saw a few ambulances, fire engines and police officers at the site.

Traffic accidents claimed the lives of 136 people in 2023, a 25.9 per cent jump from the 108 deaths in 2022, according to the Traffic Police’s (TP) annual statistics report.

They said in a statement that there was a significant increase in the number of accidents where the cause was failure on the part of the motorist to keep a proper lookout, failure to have proper control of the vehicle, or changing of lanes without due care.

TP added: “The traffic statistics show that there are many motorists who have irresponsible driving behaviours.”

Since the start of 2024, at least four traffic accidents have involved children.

On Jan 23, a four-year-old girl died on the spot when a car knocked her down near her home in River Valley.

She was walking home from her pre-school with her two-year-old sister and maid.

A 40-year-old woman suspected of careless driving causing death was later arrested.

That same month, a 12-year-old girl died after being hit by a van in Taman Jurong on Jan 30. The van driver, a 23-year-old man, was arrested for careless driving causing death, said the police.

On April 1, two Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) students, aged 12 and 13, were taken conscious to National University Hospital after an accident involving a lorry near their school in Buona Vista.

About two weeks later, a 12-year-old girl was taken to hospital after a car knocked her down at a pedestrian crossing outside Bukit View Secondary School.

• Additional reporting by Kolette Lim