'He was a responsible young man': Grand-uncle of worker who died in Tanjong Pagar worksite collapse

SINGAPORE - For two hours, he kept his emotions in check as rescue workers cut through steel and concrete to get to his grand-nephew Vinoth Kumar, who was trapped under rubble after part of the Fuji Xerox Towers building in Tanjong Pagar collapsed during demolition works.

Then at about 10pm on Thursday (June 15), he was told that they had found the 20-year-old. He did not survive the crash.

“I can only keep crying. It is very sad.

“He is my family, my baby. He grew up in my home and I took care of him. How long can I continue to cry?” Mr Raja Manickam, 44, told The Straits Times after he was asked to identify his relative.

When word reached him that Mr Vinoth was missing at the worksite, Mr Raja rushed down to the scene and got there at 8pm. He feels responsible for the young man.

Mr Raja, a supervisor at Aik Sun Demolition and Engineering, was the one who told Mr Vinoth about the job opening at the company.

They both worked for the company, and so did several of their distant relatives.

The young man, who has a diploma in mechanical engineering from a school in Tiruchirappalli, in Tamil Nadu, had arrived here in September 2022.

Mr Raja said his grand-nephew was hoping to help his parents and younger brother escape their life of poverty in Tamil Nadu.

He added that Mr Vinoth was a “very responsible young man”, who would diligently send money back home to his family each month.

His parents earn a daily wage of about $3 to $4 each, said Mr Raja. Mr Vinoth’s father does odd jobs and works at farms, while his mother is a labourer who carries bags of cement at construction sites.

Their younger son, aged 17, is still studying.

“He was a very responsible young man. He made sure to only spend his money on food, and even then, only what he needed to sustain himself.

“He didn’t even buy tea for himself because he would worry that it would cost too much,” said Mr Raja in Tamil.

Mr Vinoth was reported missing after a reinforced concrete wall, which measured about 10m long and 3.8m high, on the second storey of the former Fuji Xerox Towers collapsed onto the street during demolition.

It took more than six hours of search and rescue operations before his body was recovered.

Mr Vinoth’s parents were informed about his death late on Thursday night. Mr Raja said about 100 villagers gathered at their home to console them.

“The family is in disbelief and shock right now. They are grieving because their son is gone.

“It’s very unfortunate that this happened, and it’s a pity that a good son like him has passed,” said Mr Raja.

On Friday morning, at about 11.45am, he was there at the mortuary in Singapore General Hospital on Friday to claim the young worker’s body. He was accompanied by about 10 people, including Mr Vinoth’s distant relatives and colleagues.

Mr Raja kept a stoic look throughout, as he claimed his grand-nephew’s body for the final return home. He said they had to rush to the embalmers before Mr Vinoth’s body is repatriated via Chennai to his village and his family.

In a Facebook post on Friday afternoon, the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) said that it has contacted Aik Sun to find out more on the incident.

MWC added that their primary objective is to ensure that the immediate needs of the deceased worker’s family are met.

“We will extend an ex-gratia pay out through the Migrant Workers’ Assistance Fund to provide interim financial assistance to help his next-of-kin to tide over while they await compensation from the Work Injury Compensation Act,” said MWC.

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The centre added that it will provide counselling services to the workers who were working near the accident when the need arises.

“It is our aim to ensure that no worker is left alone in the aftermath of such distressing incidents and we stand ready to provide comprehensive assistance,” said MWC.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.