About 90 injured - 1 critical, 22 seriously injured in Jurong Shipyard rig accident

About 90 workers were injured in a rig accident at Jurong Shipyard on Monday morning.

One of them is in critical condition and 22 are seriously injured. 

The injured workers were sent to four hospitals, including the National University Hospital and Alexandra Hospital. 

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Monday afternoon that the accident happened at the worksite of Jurong Shipyard in Tanjong Kling Road. 

Preliminary findings indicate that the jack-up mechanism of one of the legs of a three-legged jackup rig had failed. 

This caused the rig to tilt to one side.

MOM said most of the workers had minor injuries. 

Officers from its Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate are at the site to investigate. 

All work has stopped at the rig. 

MediaCorp understands that most of the injured workers are from India and Bangladesh. 

Forty-five of them were sent to the National University Hospital (NUH).

Three of them have been warded, 20 have been discharged and 22 are under observation. 

None of them was seriously injured.

A spokesman of Alexandra Hospital told Channel NewAsia that 17 injured workers were sent to its Accident and Emergency Department.

They're in stable condition, with injuries like back strains and abrasions. 

All 17 were discharged by about 4.30pm.

Some of them were picked up by their employers in a van. 

Workers told MediaCorp that they were conducting welding, fitting and piping works on the rig when it started to tilt. 

In response to media queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it did not receive any calls for assistance. 

However, it acted on information of a large number of casualties in an industrial area in 29, Tanjong Kling Road. 

It sent officers from Jurong Fire Station to the scene at 12.48pm. 

By the time they arrived, all the casualties had already been sent to hospital.