Actor Aloysius Pang suffers serious injury during SAF training in New Zealand

SINGAPORE — Singaporean actor Aloysius Pang suffered a serious injury while participating in Exercise Thunder Warrior in New Zealand on Saturday (Jan 19).

A Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Operationally Ready National Serviceman, the 28-year-old armament technician from the 268th Battalion Singapore Artillery sustained the injury while carrying out repair works on a self-propelled howitzer at Waiouru Training Area at about 2pm, Singapore time, on Saturday.

In a media release, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said Corporal First Class (NS) Pang was transferred to the Battalion Casualty Station at about 2.25pm, Singapore time, where he was "assessed and stabilised" by the medical officer.

He was then evacuated to Waiouru Camp Medical Centre at 2.50pm where treatment was continued.

At 4.50pm, he was evacuated by helicopter to Waikato hospital in Hamilton, New Zealand. 

Mindef said CFC (NS) Pang was conscious throughout the evacuation and arrived at the hospital at 6pm, where he underwent surgery, which was completed at 11.40pm. 

He is now being monitored in the high dependency unit.

The actor, who works with Mediacorp on a project basis, has been cast as the male lead in Channel 8 drama My One in a Million, due to start filming in February, Channel NewsAsia reported.

He will also appear in a 13-episode Toggle Originals series called From Beijing to Moscow, slated for release on Toggle in June.

Exercise Thunder Warrior is an annual artillery live-firing exercise that has been conducted since 1997.

This year's exercise runs from Jan 5 to Feb 2 and involves more than 500 personnel from the 24th and 268th battalions of the Singapore Artillery.

Mindef said an investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.

Mindef and the SAF are assisting CFC (NS) Pang’s family during this period, the media release added.