Glass mug shatters, sends shards flying towards woman at Eunos food court

A woman was having a chat with her colleagues in a Eunos food court when the glass mug she was holding shattered before she could take another sip of her tea.

Glass shards flew everywhere — at her face, onto her arms and even into her mouth — while her drink spilt all over a laptop she had placed on the table, causing the screen to go black immediately.

In an interview with Lianhe Wanbao, the 40-year-old woman said: "I spat out the glass in my mouth, then took a tissue to brush the glass shards off my arm. That's when I realised I was scratched."

The incident, which occurred last Thursday (Nov 19), frightened her so badly that she was haunted by the image of flying glass shards hitting her face and mouth. She went to a temple to pray for protection the day after.

The woman recounted how she had only drunk a third of her teh halia tarik when the glass mug shattered, with the sound attracting the attention of nearby patrons.

According to her, a staff member from the drink stall immediately rushed over to help clean up the mess.

The food court's supervisor, 32, also came forward to understand the situation before telling her that he would give feedback to the glass mug's supplier.

He told the Chinese evening daily that they had apologised to the victim after learning of the incident.

Despite purchasing the glass mugs only a month ago, he said, they had already shown signs of cracking after hot water was poured into them. He has since asked for supplies for a switch to ceramic mugs.

"To express our sincerity, we invited the customer to come down and have a meal on the house," he said.

As for the laptop's repair costs, the supervisor said he was waiting for the victim to send him the receipt before he could discuss the damages with the supplier.

The supplier, who distributes the mugs obtained from another supplier, told the paper that they suspected the mug was not suitable for hot beverages.

"This is not the first time it has happened. Other customers have also reported instances of [the glass mugs] cracking after pouring in hot water," the supplier told the paper.

They have agreed to replace the cups for the affected food court.

rainercheung@asiaone.com