SINGAPORE: On Thursday (19 September), a fire broke out in an industrial building at 25 Kaki Bukit Road 4, resulting in the deaths of two men.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to the incident at approximately 12:55pm, finding thick smoke enveloping the fifth floor.

During the operation, two unconscious individuals were located in a unit opposite the one ablaze and were immediately rushed to Changi General Hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.

The victims were identified as 51-year-old Malaysian Luo Jiaqiang (罗家强) and 65-year-old Singaporean Vincent, as reported by Lianhe Zaobao.

Both were carpentry foremen who had scheduled a lunch meeting with He Shuxiang, the 63-year-old owner of a furniture company, at 12:30pm.

However, due to last-minute work issues, Mr He was delayed, and the two men went to rest in separate rooms on the mezzanine floor.

When the fire erupted, two employees working on a lower floor attempted to warn the men before evacuating.

Despite shouting to alert them, Mr Luo and Mr Vincent could not hear and were unable to escape.

The employees tried to rescue the pair but were thwarted by the thick smoke.

They managed to reach the men by phone, with Vincent reportedly saying, “It’s choking; I can’t breathe,” before the call cut off.

Mr Luo’s call also ended abruptly after about a minute, with only the sound of laboured breathing.

After failing to make further contact, the employees informed the firefighters and evacuated the building.

Mr He expressed deep regret over the tragedy, wondering if it could have been prevented had he arrived on time for the meeting.

The two men had been discussing a potential collaboration on a furniture project when the fire broke out.

Luo moved to Singapore two decades ago after a family dispute

On Friday, Mr Luo’s younger brother, Luo Jialong, visited the mortuary to claim his body.

In an interview with 8world News, he recounted how he had been notified of his brother’s death between 3pm and 4pm the previous day by one of Mr Luo’s colleagues.

Mr Luo had moved to Singapore 20 years earlier following a family dispute but had reconciled with his relatives just six months ago.

Since then, he had returned to Malaysia every weekend to spend time with his family, with his final visit occurring on Sunday (15 September).

His funeral will be held in Malaysia on 22 September.

The Singapore police confirmed that both men were found unconscious and later succumbed to their injuries.

Preliminary investigations have ruled out foul play, though inquiries are ongoing.

SINGAPORE: Benny Kee Soon Chuan, a 31-year-old Singaporean man, was handed a capital charge on Friday (20 September) after being deported from Thailand.

Kee is wanted for his alleged involvement in two drug trafficking cases.

Kee is accused of conspiring with Low En Quan Justin to traffic methamphetamine in early December 2020.

The conspiracy reportedly involved a parcel containing 12 packets of meth, weighing at least 2kg, intended for delivery to an individual named “Senthil Kumar” at a shop in Orchard Towers.

Authorities allege that Kee directed Low to collect the parcel, which Low picked up on 2 December 2020.

Low, now 21, has already faced legal consequences for his role in the case. He pleaded guilty to attempting to traffic at least 249.99g of meth and was sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison, along with 15 strokes of the cane.

In addition to the December case, Kee is also linked to another drug trafficking incident from November 2022, according to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).

A 29-year-old man involved in that case received an eight-year sentence with seven strokes of the cane.

Despite the charges, Kee evaded capture for several years, having left Singapore in April 2016.

The CNB coordinated with international authorities to locate him.

On 17 September, he was arrested in Samut Prakan province, Thailand, where he was reportedly living in luxury.

Thai authorities acted on a tip-off from the CNB, leading to Kee’s apprehension and subsequent deportation to Singapore.

Upon his return on 19 September, Kee was taken into custody by the CNB.

Reports indicate that during the arrest, assets worth 15 million baht (S$585,000) were seized, including luxury items like Rolex watches, gold jewelry, and cash in various currencies.

Kee was remanded by a Singapore court on Friday, with permission granted for further investigations.

He is scheduled to appear in court again on 26 September.

If convicted of conspiring to traffic a Class A controlled drug, Kee could face the death penalty.