44 taken to hospital after bus accident in Jurong West

Forty-four people were taken to hospital after an accident involving two double-decker buses in Jurong West on the morning of Dec 14.

- Daniel Lai, Lee Li Ying Correspondent and Ng Sor Luan Executive Photojournalist

A man who was injured in the collision between the two double-decker buses being taken to an ambulance. The badly-damaged front of bus service 98. Tower Transit said that affected passengers were receiving medical assessment and care.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident slightly before 11am.

When the SCDF arrived, it found a person trapped in the driver's seat of a bus, it said. The person was rescued using hydraulic rescue equipment, it added.

Forty-two passengers and two bus drivers were taken to hospital, the authorities said. Police said a 49-year-old bus driver is assisting with investigations.

Bus service 98, operated by Tower Transit, rear-ended an SBS Transit-run bus service 99, which was stationary, at about 10.55am in Jurong West Avenue 1, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post at about 2.10pm.

Both transport operators were investigating the accident, LTA said, adding: "We would like to apologise for the hurt and distress caused by this accident."

In an update close to 10pm, Senior Minister of State for Transport Murali Pillai said 23 people had been discharged. Among the remaining 21 who were warded, including a bus captain, some were in stable condition, while others were undergoing medical reviews.