SMRT fires 8 employees over 'failing to exercise due care, diligence' leading to Oct 7 tunnel flooding

Singapore rail operator SMRT Corp said it sacked eight employees and disciplined three others following the conclusion of its internal investigation into the October 7 tunnel flooding incident.

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An SMRT train leaves a station in Singapore Reuters

Singapore rail operator SMRT Corp said it sacked eight employees and disciplined three others following the conclusion of its internal investigation into the October 7 tunnel flooding incident.

The employees who were dismissed included staff who had falsified pump maintenance records and executives tasked to oversee the work, the rail operator said in a statement on its website on Monday.

SMRT also suggested it may pursue legal action against former vice president Tay Tien Seng and senior manager Ivan Kok who had "failed to exercise sufficient supervision during the period when the falsification of the pump maintenance records occurred".

The two men were no longer with the company, and SMRT said it "reserves its right to pursue legal action against them as may be appropriate".

Three management executives were disciplined for "failing to exercise the due care and diligence expected of them," SMRT said, adding that it has since boosted its maintenance processes and supervisory checks.

Last month's tunnel flooding saw train services disrupted for more than 20 hours, affecting more than 250,000 commuters.

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