SCDF rushes to rescue child trapped inside locked Land Rover at Tiong Bahru

With the hot weather we have been facing recently, being outside for too long can be unbearably uncomfortable, what more being trapped in a car under the hot sun. 

This young boy and his parents found themselves in quite a terrifying situation last Sunday (June 5) as the child was found trapped inside a stationary Land Rover parked in Tiong Bahru for 30 minutes.

And given the sweltering heat, that child is at real risk of getting heat stroke, a life-threatening condition.

According to Shin Min Daily News, two women — the boy's mum and their domestic helper — were outside of the car. It is believed that they had accidentally left the car key inside the vehicle.

A two-minute video was posted on TikTok page Quangphu194 that same day, showing three fully-suited Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel trying to rescue the one-year-old boy with curious bystanders flocking around the vehicle.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@quangphu194/video/7105608114417716482?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=6944924152827184641[/embed]

The clip, which included captions in Vietnamese, said that a baby boy was trapped in the white Land Rover.

Among their arsenal of tools, the SCDF trio picked out what looked like a hammer and one of them began smashing three corners of the rear door glass.

The glass was safely removed and the boy was rescued.

It is unclear if the car's engine was still running or if the air-conditioning switched on when the child was trapped inside.

In a separate video, the child could be seen reunited with a woman, presumably his mother. 

From his cries, one could tell what a traumatising experience it must have been for him.

SCDF told AsiaOne on Monday that it received a call for assistance at 23 Lim Liak Street on June 5 at about 11.40am. Rescue equipment was used to free the child, who was later assessed and found to be unharmed by a paramedic.

AsiaOne has reached out to Quangphu194 and the police for more information.

Netizens however, were brutal with their comments given that there have been numerous incidents, especially in the US, of children dying from heat stroke after their parents forgot and left them unattended inside. 

Some TikTok users suggested that such parents deserve to be punished for their 'negligent act'.

One TikTok user wondered if calling a locksmith might have been the better option.

To which another netizen replied: "Locksmiths will need time to duplicate a key whereby SCDF uses tools to break open first because SCDF aim is to save first."

Leaving a young child behind in the car is extremely dangerous, even if it is only for a few minutes.

Singapore's hot and humid weather can potentially cause children to suffer from heat stroke when left unattended in a stationary vehicle. And in this case, this family was lucky. 

However, a kindergarten bus driver in China was arrested for leaving a boy trapped inside a school bus in 2019. The boy had died from heat stroke.

In January 2021, a man in Singapore was sentenced to 10 months in jail after he locked a three-year-old girl in a van without ventilation for more than an hour. The incident left the child suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Just last month, a 10-month-old girl died after she was left in a vehicle for several hours by her mother in Texas, reported NBC news. That was the third paediatric vehicular heat stroke death in the US this year.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a list of safety reminders which include avoiding distractions such as using one's phone, while driving.

Parents are also advised to always check the back seat and make sure all children are out of the car before locking the vehicle.

ALSO READ: Chinese girl, 4, dies after being left behind in car by father

amierul@asiaone.com