Four, including SCDF officer, injured as taxi explodes in Buona Vista

SINGAPORE — They thought it was a car bomb. 

Shards of metal, big and small, flew through the air after a taxi caught fire and exploded on Sunday (April 30) at about 2.15pm on a road near Buona Vista MRT Station.

Five minutes earlier, a group of about 30 people had gathered across the road to look at the burning vehicle, with some even taking videos as firefighters sprayed the car with a water jet. 

The explosion that happened afterwards was so loud, it left a ringing sound in the ears of those at the scene. Patrons of a coffee shop close to the incident felt the ground tremble.

Four men, including a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer, suffered minor burns and were conveyed to the National University Hospital (NUH), the police said on Sunday. The injured firefighter was discharged on Sunday night. NUH told TODAY that the three others are in stable condition

TODAY understands that the compressed natural gas (CNG) tank in the boot of the Trans-Cab taxi had exploded, blowing off its rear. The taxi had been in an accident with a car at Commonwealth Avenue, near the junction with North Buona Vista Road, earlier, and caught fire afterwards.

Commonwealth Avenue resident Judy Chu, 49, said the explosion could be heard from her 14th-storey unit.

It also startled clothing store owner Chen Ah Hua, who briefly went into hiding after hearing three loud bangs. 

“I thought it was a bomb,” said the 55-year-old, who works at the nearby Holland Drive Market and Food Centre.

Retired doctor Edward Pang, 77, who took a closer look at the scene after the explosion, said he saw “plenty of splinters flying”, followed by a plume of black smoke.

Mr Red Seo, 28, who witnessed “parts of the taxi flying in the air” from his Uber ride, told TODAY he was thankful that the parts did not hit any other cars.

But a bystander was cut by one of these splinters in his left hand.

The man — who appeared to be in his 30s, according to eyewitnesses — left a pool of blood by the foot of a nearby overhead bridge, where a woman in her 20s attended to his injury.

Dr Pang, who witnessed the woman using her scarf to try and stop the bleeding, said: “This is a ground test of responsiveness towards a bomb or any other crisis, and what this young woman did is commendable and important for a prepared nation.”

Mr Joe Liew, 56, a security supervisor at the National University of Singapore, was sipping his coffee at the nearby coffee shop. After hearing the explosion, he urged people to leave the vicinity. He told TODAY that he felt it was his duty to disperse curious passers-by.

When the fire was put out 20 minutes later, the taxi was a burnt-out shell.

The taxi was driven by a 48-year-old man, a Trans-Cab spokesman told TODAY.  His cab was last sent to the workshop two weeks ago for inspection, which included a check on the CNG tank, she added.

The SCDF said the fire was put out with two water jets and a compressed air foam backpack.

Officials said preliminary investigations show that the likely cause of the explosion was the accident. Investigations by the authorities, including the Land Transport Authority, are ongoing.