The children wanted to jump, says migrant worker at River Valley fire

He was among those who helped save kids stuck on ledge on the third floor

- Nadine Chua and Sarah Koh

Construction worker Shakil Mohammad was at work at River Valley Road on April 8 when he heard screams next door.

Seeing a shophouse on fire and children standing on the ledge on the third floor, he rushed to help them.

Speaking to The Straits Times on April 9, Mr Shakil, 35, who is from Bangladesh, said: "The children wanted to jump. I told them, 'Don't jump! I will help you.'"

He and several workers took a ladder from the construction site to get to them.

Tomato Cooking School, which runs cooking lessons and camps for children, is located in the shophouse.

Mr Shakil, who has been working in Singapore since 2018, was second on the ladder, with another worker above him grabbing children and passing them to him.

He said: "There was one girl, when she was passed to me, her eyes were closed. I held her in my arms, she was not moving.

"The fire was so hot. But I die, no problem, I just needed to save the children."

Mr Shakil thinks they saved 10 of them.

Choking up, he added: "There were three more children inside, and I wanted to go inside to save them, but I couldn't. The fire was too big. I cannot explain how (painful) my heart is."

The fire left a 10-year-old girl dead and 21 others injured.

She died after being taken to the hospital, said the police. The 22 casualties included six adults aged between 23 and 55, and 16 children aged between six and 10.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the girl who died was an Australian.