Changi Airport Group says 'unusual' weather event caused flying debris at construction site; no injuries reported

SINGAPORE — An “unusual'' natural phenomenon caused debris to fly in the air at a Changi East construction site on Sunday (April 30), a Changi Airport Group (CAG) spokesperson said.

In response to TODAY’s queries, the CAG spokesperson said on Tuesday that no one sustained injuries during the incident on Sunday morning at the construction site, which includes the site for Changi Airport Terminal 5 (T5).

The spokesperson was unable to specify if the affected site was the T5 construction site.

“Our contractors have since secured the movable items with additional support and works at the site have resumed following a safety assessment,” the spokesperson added.

A clip posted on TikTok by user “yeothuang1968” on Sunday showed pieces of debris flying in the air at the construction site amid strong, gusty winds. The site also includes an upcoming Changi East industrial zone.

The intensity of the winds was strong enough to move multiple barricades and a metal signpost.

Another online user “Amin Aziz” reposted the clip on YouTube, which lasted about four minutes, calling the weather phenomenon a “tornado”.

Some users commenting on the videos claimed that it was a waterspout rather than a tornado.

As it turns out, it was neither.

The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said the phenomena is called a "landspout", which occurs when "circulating air currents above a warm surface get sucked into the updraft (upward moving air) of a developing thunderstorm cloud".

"A landspout typically has a lifespan of several minutes, and weakens quickly as the thunderstorm matures or dissipates," an MSS spokesperson said in response to TODAY's queries.

"Landspouts are extremely rare in Singapore, with the last known landspout sighted in Tuas in September 2019."

The occurrence of landspouts is also "extremely difficult" to predict, the spokesperson added.

"While the Meteorological Service Singapore issues warnings of thunderstorms, it is not possible to specifically forecast the development of landspouts."

At around 11am on April 30, several thunderstorms were observed at the eastern end of Singapore and on the offshore islands, the spokesperson said.

"The landspout was likely to have been spawn off from a thunderstorm, which developed around Changi from around 11.10am."