'I heard a bang': Devotee injured after tiles fell from Bugis temple archway

Tiles falling from the archway at Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple hit a man on Sunday (Dec 29) morning, leaving scratches on his arm.

Eyewitness Song Kangming (transliteration) told Lianhe Zaobao that he was waiting in line to enter the temple's hall when three tiles fell from the archway.

"I heard a loud 'bang' and there was chaos at the scene," Song recalled. 

One tile had struck the arm of a man in his 50s who was picking up incense sticks, he told 8world.

Song also heard a crash out of his line of sight and spun around to see a frightened woman carrying her baby.

"Fortunately, the woman and her child managed to avoid getting hit," he said.

Speaking with Zaobao, Song surmised that the archway may have not been properly maintained, resulting in the tiles falling.

"The Lunar New Year is coming soon and there will be a lot of devotees," he said. "I hope Kwan Im Thong Temple can take measures as soon as possible to ensure their safety."

When an 8world reporter visited the temple on Monday morning, they noticed that the damaged parts of the archway had been covered up and that repair works were underway.

Members of the public continued to stream in and out of the temple.

A temple spokesperson told Zaobao that the net cover had been set up to ensure public safety.

AsiaOne has reached out to Kwan Im Thong Temple for more information.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com