Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Ceiling at JEM shopping mall collapses

SINGAPORE — JEM shopping centre has been cordoned off today (Sept 19), with security officials telling TODAY that the mall has been closed to the public, after a 50-metre portion of the ceiling at the first level of the mall collapsed last night.

SINGAPORE — JEM shopping centre has been cordoned off today (Sept 19), with security officials telling TODAY that the mall has been closed to the public, after a 50-metre portion of the ceiling at the first level of the mall collapsed last night.

In a statement this morning, mall operator Lend Lease said that it will not reopen JEM as a precautionary measure, until it is “satisfied with the safety of the site”. Lend Lease added that it is investigating the cause of the incident and is working closely with the authorities.

Earlier, at 7am, our reporter found all entrances to the building had been cordoned off. A sign posted outside the compound this morning stated: "We are not open today." Workers were also seen trying to clean up large puddles of water on the floor of the basement car park and at the first level.

Most JEM employees and staff of retail outlets were not allowed into the shopping centre this morning while cleaning-up operations were under way.

Three women sustained minor injuries in yesterday's incident and were sent to the National University Hospital.

A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman said it received a call at 10.14pm that “a part of the false ceiling” had collapsed. It dispatched seven vehicles, including two fire engines and an ambulance, to the scene.

The SCDF is investigating the cause of the incident. Eye-witnesses said that the ceiling appeared to have collapsed because of the weight of the water from a burst pipe. They added that there were not many shoppers around at the time.

When TODAY reached the scene yesterday, the mall had been cordoned off and SCDF personnel and the mall management staff were present. The representatives from the mall management said they were not authorised to speak to reporters.

The collapsed ceiling was along the corridor outside the shops. A pile of debris could be seen between the BreadTalk and Robinsons stores.

Speaking yesterday, Ms Liana Jaapar, 23, a sales assistant at a retail shop on the first floor of the mall, said that she was about to lock up the store when she heard a loud bang. She was with four colleagues and there were about five customers in the shop.

“I was quite shocked and the water seeped in quite quickly,” she said.

A manager of a jewellery shop said his staff called him at around 9.50pm and told him that they were being evacuated.

Mr Mohamed Ibrahim, 29, chief supervisor at the mall’s Starbucks outlet, estimated that there were about 150 people gathered at the evacuation point outside the mall.

Since its opening on June 15, which was delayed by four days because it could not secure fire permits in time, JEM has been beset by incidents.

Last month, two fires broke out within a week. Three people were injured in the first fire which occurred at the FairPrice Xtra supermarket after a deep fryer at a food counter caught fire. No one was injured in the second fire which involved an engine compartment of a car at the Basement Two carpark.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.