It roared like a jet engine—then came the crash. That’s how one nearby resident described the shocking sound of a roof partially collapsing at the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery on Bright Hill Road Wednesday evening (Nov 26). But here's where it gets even more unsettling—what looked like an ordinary night quickly turned into a chaotic scene.
Yasin, a 33-year-old senior security officer who lives in an HDB block beside the monastery, recalled the moment vividly. “I was watching TV with my family around 8.30pm when we suddenly heard this thunderous noise,” he told AsiaOne on Nov 27. “It sounded like a jet flying low. My wife thought it was just fireworks or maybe metal shutters slamming shut—but it was way too loud for that.” Curiosity turned to shock when he looked out the window and saw part of the temple’s roof had given way. People, including a security guard, sprinted toward the area to see what had happened.
Yasin later posted a short video on his Threads account, achinwhytezz, showing the aftermath—roof debris scattered across the courtyard, pieces of tiles and frame lying in disarray. A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) vehicle had already arrived, its personnel assessing the damage under floodlights.
According to an SCDF spokesperson, officers were alerted to the scene at 88 Bright Hill Road at approximately 8.25pm. When firefighters and rescuers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team entered the courtyard, they found a collapsed section of roof, including both tiles and parts of the supporting frame. Specially trained canines from SCDF’s search platoon were deployed to make sure no one was trapped under the rubble. One person sustained minor injuries, but declined to be taken to the hospital after paramedics checked their condition.
Buildings sealed for safety
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) confirmed in a statement on Nov 27 that it had been notified of the incident shortly after it occurred. Upon inspection, BCA engineers determined that a section of the four-storey Venerable Hong Choon Memorial Hall’s roof had fallen, bringing down tiles and structural frame components. The collapse also caused damage to windows on a nearby building, though engineers reassured that the overall structure of both buildings remains sound.
Out of caution, BCA ordered the closure of both affected buildings to the public. The authority further instructed the building owner to engage a professional engineer to conduct a thorough investigation, recommend safety precautions, and propose long-term repair solutions to prevent a recurrence. This step is standard in cases involving structural failure—but the timing and cause of the collapse are still unclear.
AsiaOne has reached out to the monastery for an official comment on the situation.
And this is where the story stirs debate: Should older religious buildings undergo stricter structural checks, even if they appear sound? Or was this just a freak accident caused by weather or aging materials? What do you think—are safety inspections in historical sites frequent enough to prevent such incidents?
