SINGAPORE - Many passengers fell as the train they were on collided with a stationary one at Joo Koon MRT station during morning rush hour on Wednesday (Nov 15).
Engineer Wang Hai, 38, who kept his balance by grabbing onto a pole, heard people crying and later saw a puddle of vomit in one of the cabins.
"There was screaming and there was also a screeching breaking sound," he said.
Mr Wang, who was in the second cabin of the train, said some of those who were injured were crying and someone pushed the emergency button. "There was panic at first, then people started comforting or helping each other."
A total of 36 people were injured in the incident.
According to rail operator SMRT, the train involved had stopped behind a stationary train, but moved forward unexpectedly and came into contact with it.
"I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, the train was pulling into the station really really slowly. All of a sudden we were thrown off our feet," said Mr Wang.
About 10 minutes before the incident that happened at 8.20am, a logistics planner who wanted to known only as Miss Guo, 25, had gotten off the stationary train.
She said there was an announcement on the train telling passengers to alight at Joo Koon station as it would not be travelling to Tuas Link.
"Fortunately, all the passengers had gotten off the (stationary) train when the accident happened," said Miss Guo.
She was waiting for a colleague at one of the shops near the passenger service centre when she head a loud bang. "I thought there had been a car accident on the road below," she added.
Mr Wang said passengers in the affected train waited for about 30 minutes before they were evacuated from the driver's cabin. Singapore Civil Defence Force officers carrying stretchers also boarded the train to attend to the injured, he added.
He said: "Fortunately, the train was not going fast, if not the situation could have been worse. I hope this incident will be addressed appropriately as many of us take the train as our daily mode of transport."
