The government of Singapore has recognized four Indian migrant workers for their brave efforts in saving children and adults from a blaze at a shophouse, where 16 children and six adults were ensnared.
Inderjit Singh, Subramanian Saranraj, Nagarajan Anbarasan, and Sivasami Vijayaraj were awarded the Friends of ACE coins by the Assurance, Care and Engagement (Ace) Group of the Manpower Ministry, which protects the welfare of migrant workers in the city-state.
“Their quick thinking and bravery made all the difference… Thank you for reminding us of the power of community in times of need,” the ministry was quoted as saying by Friday weekly Tabla! Hearing the screams of children and noticing thick smoke billowing out of a third floor shophouse window on April 8, the migrant workers wasted no time in grabbing a scaffold from their workplace just opposite the blaze.
They were accompanied by additional migrant workers employed on River Valley Road near the shophouse. Included in the group of those saved was Mark Shankar Pawanovich, son of Andhra Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister, Pawan Kalyan.
According to reports , employees inside the shophouse positioned the children individually on the ledge just outside the window, and the workers transferred the children down a human chain to safety. The workers had no time to attach their safety harnesses. They prioritized the rescue above their own safety. In the 10 minutes prior to the arrival of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the migrant workers saved the lives of 10 children.
Saranraj said: “We didn’t have any protective equipment to guard against the fumes. We were not familiar with the building as well and didn’t know where the stairs were. So we went for the windows.” Saranraj recalled the panic all around. “Some children even wanted to jump down but we reassured them and rescued them one by one.” A 10-year-old Australian girl rescued from the fire died later on Tuesday at a hospital.
Subramanian Saranraj, 34, was among the workers who stated he will always remember seeing children with soot on their faces, coughing and gasping for air while crying out for assistance.
The truck driver had just dropped off some laborers at Valley Lodge Condominium for renovation tasks and was leaving. Just as he was on the verge of making a right turn at around 9:40 am, he noticed the crowd gathered near the burning shophouse.
