Sungei Buloh bridge fixed after man and child fall through hole

A cordoned-off area at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve reopened to the public on Thursday, three days after a man and his daughter fell through a hole in a bridge caused by heavy rain and overflowing water that dislodged the floor panels.

- Shabana Begum and Thomas Loke

National Parks Board (NParks) group director for conservation Lim Liang Jim said the hole was patched up after the water receded, and no other missing panels or gaps were found in the park.

With the rest of the Chinese New Year period expected to see Mr Lim prolonged downpours, added that NParks staff are closely monitoring water levels in the reserve, and will temporarily close areas that could be subject to intermittent flooding.

On Monday, the second day of the Chinese New Year holidays, Mr Bucky Hussain, 33, his wife and their two children were taking a stroll at the wetland reserve, which they visit frequently.

Mr Hussain, who works in sales strategy at Google, said that it began to pour at close to noon.

Rushing to leave the nature park, Mr Hussain and his wife grabbed their children and started across the bridge, which was ankle-deep in water.

The walkway crosses a sluice gate that controls discharge from the Buloh Besar River into the sea.

A wide hole in the middle of the bridge where there were missing panels was not visible, and Mr Hussain and his two-year-old daughter, Ashley, plunged into the raging water below.