9 taken to hospital after multi-vehicle crash on TPE sparks motorcycle fire

SINGAPORE – At least eight people were taken to hospital on Oct 7 after a multi-vehicle accident on the TPE left a motorcycle in flames just before the morning peak-hour rush.

The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were alerted to the accident between a car, a lorry and two motorcycles on the TPE towards PIE, after the Punggol Road exit, at about 6.50am.

Among those taken to hospital were a 50-year-old female car passenger; a 40-year-old male lorry driver; his four passengers aged between 27 and 48; and two male motorcyclists aged 25 and 37.

One person was assessed for minor injuries but declined to be sent to hospital, said SCDF in a media reply on Oct 7.

The lorry driver and a 55-year-old male car driver are assisting with ongoing police investigations.

Photos circulating on Facebook showed the aftermath of the crash, with a motorcycle seen engulfed in flames in front of a white truck and a car further up the expressway.

Another photo showed emergency responders at the scene attending to the wreckage.

Members of the public managed to put out the blaze with fire extinguishers before emergency responders arrived, said the SCDF.

In a post on social media platform X at 7.44am, the Land Transport Authority warned motorists of heavy congestion on the expressway stretching to Sengkang West Road, and urged road users to avoid lanes one and two.

Road traffic accidents and casualties in Singapore are on the rise, continuing an upward trend for the third straight year in the first half of 2026.

The number of traffic accidents causing injuries rose to 3,869 in the first half of 2026, up from 3,748 in the same period the previous year, Traffic Police data shows.

The total number of injuries in traffic accidents also rose from 4,894 cases in the first half of 2025 to 5,090 during the same period in 2026.

The number of accidents involving motorcyclists rose to 2,186 in the first half of 2026, up from 2,096 a year earlier, with the number of injuries climbing from 2,335 to 2,470.

Motorcyclists and pillion riders were involved in more than half (55.6%) of all traffic accidents from January to June 2026.