Indians among 18 get lifesaver Award for rescuing several including Pawan Kalyan's son from fire in Singapore

The SCDF Community Lifesaver Award is presented to members of the public whose actions contributed saving lives and involved an element of self-risk. (representative image)

Eighteen individuals, including construction workers from India, were recognised with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Community Lifesaver Award for saving 16 children and six adults from a fire at a Singapore shophouse last Tuesday (April 8).

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s seven-year-old son was among those hurt in the fire at the three-storey River Valley Road building which houses a children’s enrichment centre run by Newtonshow Camp.The children, aged between six and 10, six adults, aged between 23 and 55, were rescued and attended to by the 18 people from within the shophouse vicinity before the SCDF firefighting team arrived.A 10-year-old Australian girl, rescued from the fire, subsequently died at one of the hospitals.

“For all fire incidents, especially this one, time is of the critical essence. So, we really thank the members of (the) public who responded that day, even before SCDF’s arrival,” said Colonel Tay Zhi Wei, the commander of the 1st SCDF Division.“ You would have seen in many of the videos that have been circulating so far that their bravery, their quick action and their collective action really saved lives that day,” Channel News Asia quoted Colonel Tay as saying on Tuesday.

The SCDF Community Lifesaver Award is presented to members of the public whose actions contributed saving lives and involved an element of self-risk. The children on the ledge were “shivering” and “wanted to jump” from the ledge, and the community responders shouted at them to stop, said private-hire driver Benson Lo who helped to carry children to safety. Construction worker Shakil Mohammad, 35, was at the top of the step ladder with fellow construction workers Hasan Emamul, 20, and Chinnappa Kannadasan, 32, who formed a human chain to carry the children to safety. Shakil said initially he tried to go up to the third storey of the building but could not make it past the blaze on the second floor, and went outside to help.

Shakil took a step ladder from his worksite nearby when he realised that the scaffolding other construction workers had carried to the scene was not tall enough to reach the ledge. There was “no escape” from the building, said Shakil, and he saw a child trying to jump from the ledge. “I (said): ‘Don’t jump. I’ll help you,’” he said.Ravi Kumar, a construction worker from India who assisted his colleagues in carrying the children to the ground, said that he was thinking of his younger sister who is around the same age as them, and started feeling scared.

“I saved lives and I still feel it today,” said Kumar, adding that the girl who died from the fire was still stuck in his mind.“Even when I’m working or eating, I’m thinking about her and feel very sad,” said the 26-year-old worker. On Apr 9, Tomato Cooking School, one of the brands under Newtonshow, said it was cooperating with investigations into the fire.

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Authorities are investigating the fire.The 18 individuals recognised by SCDF were: Chinnappa Kannadasan; Hasan Emamul; Shakil Mohammad; Das Taposh; Hasan Rajib; Ravi Kumar; Varuvel Christopher; Govindaraj Elangeshwaran; Muthukumar Mugesh; Inderjit Singh; Sivasami Vijayaraj; Nagarajan Anbarasan; Subramanian Saranraj; Islam Shafiqul; Subramanian Rameshkumar; Benson Lo; Shaik Amirudin Bin Kamaludin and Dr Laura Biffin.