A Singaporean soldier died after a tree branch fell on him in Brunei on Tuesday.
On October 9 at 8:30am, Third Warrant Officer Muhammad Sadikin Hasban, 33, was struck by a falling branch while supervising a helicopter maintenance session at a helicopter evacuation site in Brunei, The Straits Times reported.
According to the Singaporean Ministry of Defence, a Singapore Armed Forces doctor tried to resuscitate him on the helicopter, then in the ambulance to Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital. Hasban arrived at the hospital at around 10am.
At 11:50am, the soldier was pronounced dead.
The Ministry of Defence reportedly arranged for the soldier’s family to be brought to Brunei. On October 10 his body was returned to Singapore on a military aircraft.
In a statement, the SAF and the Ministry expressed their condolences. Sources indicate that contractors were at the time of the accident clearing vegetation, which may have been a factor in the tragedy.