Father and daughter among pedestrians killed by lorry at Yio Chu Kang

SINGAPORE — A father and daughter were among three pedestrians killed on Monday morning (April 23) after they were hit by a lorry near Yio Chu Kang MRT Station.

Mr Chua Cheng Thong, 87, his daughter, Ms Gina Chua Aye Wah, 59, and their 63-year-old male friend — whose identity is still unknown — were pronounced dead on the spot.

Video footage of the accident, which happened at about 9.35am, surfaced online later in the day. It showed the lorry hurtling towards pedestrians at the traffic junction before it hit the trio and an SBS Transit bus. The impact caused the windscreen of the double-decker bus to shatter partially.

Rescuers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force had to extricate two pedestrians from beneath the lorry using a rescue lifting airbag.

The police arrested the 25-year-old lorry driver for dangerous driving causing death.

No one was home when TODAY visited Mr Chua and Ms Chua's third-storey flat at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 on Monday evening. Over an hour later, a cousin of Ms Chua's arrived at the flat and asked for "compassion" towards the family, saying it was "not the right time" as they were grieving.

She said Mr Chua is survived by two other daughters.

The family's next-door neighbour, Mr Ng Ghim Cheng, 53, said he used to see Mr Chua and an elderly woman — whom he believed to be Mr Chua's wife — when he moved in 14 years ago.

Mr Ng, who co-owns a fish farm, said he had not seen Mr Chua for more than five years, and he believed his neighbour lived elsewhere. From their brief interactions, he said the elderly man was "very friendly and kind, and we spoke Hokkien".

He said he often saw two of Mr Chua's daughters entering and leaving the flat, and he last saw one of them several days ago. "It's sad," Mr Ng said of the news.

Hours after the collision on Monday, family members of the victims — including Mr Chua's family — arrived at the scene. One woman was seen sobbing, and she had to be supported by a policewoman as she was brought near the tents where the bodies were held.

Another woman, who arrived later, was seen wailing, as police officers tried to comfort her.

Earlier in the day, Mr Xu Shu Jing, 55, a partner at the local company that owns the lorry, confirmed to TODAY that his son Xu Kai Xiang, 25, was behind the wheel of the vehicle.

The younger Mr Xu had told him that his vision had "gone blurry" before his lorry struck the pedestrians.