Within a short span of two months, two corpses were discovered in separate incidents at Block 79, Indus Road over at Bukit Merah. 

The dead bodies were only found when disconcerted neighbours noticed a foul smell emanating from the homes of the deceased.

The first body was identified to be a 41-year-old Malay man who lived on the 14th floor. He was found on May 5, approximately three or four days after his death, reported Shin Min Daily News.

Speaking to Shin Min, a resident living on the same floor said the deceased allegedly suffers from asthma, but he was unaware of the deceased's cause of death.

The second incident occurred a month later on June 2, when neighbours once again noticed a foul smell along the corridor. The deceased was a 51-year-old Chinese man who lived on the ninth floor, reported the Chinese daily.  

A 16-year-old resident who lives in the unit opposite the deceased said: "When the police opened the door [of the deceased's home], the stench came in. I couldn't sleep that night, and I didn't have the energy for football training the next day."

He also recalled that he had heard the deceased tell his father that he had a heart problem.

A 63-year-old resident surnamed Wang, who lives on the same floor, told the Chinese daily he smelled a strange smell on May 31.

And when the smell gradually grew more pungent, he suspected it originated from the neighbouring unit.

The residents called the police a few days later on June 2 when the smell still had not dissipated. The police found that the 51-year-old male resident had been dead for several days, reported the Chinese daily.

"Although they removed the remains, the smell is still very strong. Especially when the wind blows, the putrid smell is unbearable," Wang said.

"I have to spray it with disinfectant several times a day, but the smell is still there."

According to Shin Min, the residents interviewed on June 8 said that the smell on the 14th floor had dissipated. There was no peculiar smell in the corridor on the ninth floor, but the rotten smell still lingered in the stairwell on the 10th floor.

Cleaning the deceased's home

In an interview with Shin Min, Rahman Razali, the 41-year-old owner of cleaning company DDQ Services, said that trauma cleaning can only begin after the authorities have concluded their investigations and removed the body.

They can only enter the residence to clean with the permission of the deceased's family.

"Even the Housing Development Board (HDB) can't hire us to clean up the flats, unless the family members, relatives, friends and colleagues of the deceased can't be found," he explained.

Rahman also said that sometimes families are unwilling to pay extra to clean up the deceased's home.

"I have encountered family members who asked us to clean up the house six months after the deceased died, maybe [they wanted] to sell or rent the house."

Trauma cleaning typically takes three to eight hours, according to Rahman. When cleaning, cleaners must wear full-body protective clothing and masks. The cleaning products used are also not store-bought cleaning agents or air fresheners.

"We have our own suppliers who will provide our special chemical cleaning products, which can effectively remove decay, blood, body fluids, etc., as well as eliminate smells."

ALSO READ: Social worker goes knocking door to door to investigate 'foul stench' complaint, finds decomposed body in Aljunied flat

lim.kewei@asiaone.com

For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.