SINGAPORE: A Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) full-time national serviceman (NSF) died on Saturday (Nov 3) after he was involved in a vehicular incident at Jalan Murai training area.

Private (Pte) Liu Kai, 22, a transport operator from the SAF's Transport Hub West, was operating a Land Rover as part of a field training exercise when a Bionix vehicle reversed into his vehicle at around 10.10am.





The Bionix is a series of armoured vehicles developed in Singapore.



He lost consciousness and was attended to immediately by a medic, said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) in a news release.



The SAF Emergency Ambulance Service and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were activated at 10.17am and were on-site at 10.30am, said the release.



Pte Liu succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead by the medical officers at around 10.35am.





The army has declared an army-wide safety timeout on training to ensure "all appropriate safety measures" are in place, it said.



"Police investigations are ongoing and an independent Committee of Inquiry (COI) will be convened to investigate the circumstances leading to the incident," said MINDEF.

"The army is rendering assistance and support to the family of the late Pte Liu during this period of grief."



The late soldier will be accorded posthumous recognition of the rank of Corporal First Class from Sunday, MINDEF said.



This is the second fatal training accident involving a Bionix vehicle reported within two years.

In September 2017, SAF NSF Gavin Chan was guiding a Bionix infantry fighting vehicle out of difficult terrain at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland when it landed on its side. He was found unconscious next to the vehicle and later succumbed to his injuries.



Other deaths of military personnel have been reported this year.

In April this year, 19-year-old NSF Dave Lee died nearly two weeks after suffering a heat stroke following the completion of an 8km fast march at Bedok Camp. An SAF officer was charged this week with causing death by a rash act.



Last month, an SAF regular serviceman died after he was hit by a falling tree branch in Brunei.



In September, an SAF NSF was found hanging from a rope in his office at Sembawang Air Base and in July, an off-duty SAF regular serviceman was found dead in his bunk in Nee Soon Camp.

In another incident involving a full-time national serviceman, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) NSF Kok Yuen Chin was found dead at the bottom of a pump well at Tuas View Fire Station after a ragging incident that went wrong in May. Five SCDF officers have been charged in relation to his death.