'I tried to save her': Friend weeps beside coffin of 23-year-old woman killed in Yishun car crash, Singapore News
The surviving passenger, Ong Meiyi, 20, said she and her friend Queenie Leong had taken that car home after attending a friend's birthday party at Bedok.
Recounting the incident, Ong told Shin Min Daily News that Leong had fallen asleep on the back seat shortly after getting into the car, while she sat beside her.
The next thing she knew, the car crashed into a bus in Yishun.
"Everything happened very suddenly. My hand hit the back of the seat, and it hurt. [Leong] might have also hit the front [before she] fell on me," Ong recalled, adding that she suffered a hand injury in the crash.
Ong noted that Leong fell unconscious and was bleeding from her head, nose, and mouth due to the impact.
"I called her name and held her hand - she moved slightly. I immediately tried to save her and perform CPR, but one of my hands was badly injured. There was really nothing I could do," said a distraught Ong.
She added that the driver also appeared visibly distressed after the crash and fainted before opening the door.
After the crash, Ong exited the vehicle and called for help, with the bus driver stepping forward to assist in contacting the authorities.
Ong described her bond with Leong as "being like sisters", adding that the loss has left her overwhelmed with guilt and regret for not being able to save her friend as she wept at the wake.
One of Leong's friend told the family that the driver was allegedly driving erratically prior to the incident and may have fallen asleep at the wheel, reported The Straits Times.
Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed that a call for assistance was made at about 5.35am to a road traffic accident at the junction of Yishun Avenue 2 and Yishun Central 1 on Aug 2.
A 47-year-old male car driver and his 20-year-old female passenger were conveyed conscious to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
Another 23-year-old female car passenger was conveyed unconscious to the same hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
It was reported that Leong died at about 3pm on August 2.
Police investigations are ongoing.
The 47-year-old driver has been hospitalised, reported The Straits Times.
A Tower Transit spokesman reportedly said the bus was stationary and waiting at the traffic lights when the accident happened. There were no passengers on board at the time. Minutes away from destination
Speaking to the Chinese daily, the deceased's father, Leong Jian Wei (transliteration), said that his daughter was only five to 10 minutes away from her home when the accident occurred.
"It's hard for us to accept this. [Her] mother even fainted from grief," said the 49-year-old private hire driver.
He described his daughter as hardworking, caring, and well-loved by her peers and teachers.
According to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central's Instagram account, Leong graduated with a Higher Nitec in Accounting in 2024 and was recognised as one of the school's outstanding recipients.
"She had a bright future. She used to work in accountancy in Chinatown, [while] studying part-time to earn her own living expenses... We didn't have worry about her," said her father.
[[nid:687782]]
xingying.koh@asiaone.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
2 hours ago
- Business Times
US charges Chinese nationals with Nvidia chips export breach
[WASHINGTON] Two Chinese nationals were arrested this week on charges that they sent tens of millions of US dollars worth of advanced AI chips made by Nvidia to China in violation of US export restrictions, according to authorities. The defendants used a company based in El Monte, California, to export sensitive technology, including graphics processing units, used in artificial intelligence (AI), without obtaining the necessary government licenses, the Justice Department said on Tuesday (Aug 5). According to a criminal complaint provided by the agency, the two individuals shipped Nvidia-designed chips, including the company's H100 AI accelerators, which are the basis for computers used to create and run AI software. Such chips require official approval for sales to certain countries. The accused were identified by authorities as Chuan Geng, 28, of Pasadena, and Shiwei Yang, 28, of El Monte. They have been charged with violating the Export Control Reform Act and could face up to 20 years in prison, according to the Justice Department. Lawyers for the Geng and Yang could not be immediately located for comment. Spokespeople for Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Over the past several years, the US has steadily tightened restrictions on exports of semiconductors and chipmaking equipment to keep China from gaining ground in the race for AI dominance. The Trump administration is exploring ways to include enhanced location-tracking in AI chips to help with export control enforcement. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Up until being superseded earlier this year by a new line of products from Santa Clara, California-based Nvidia, the H100s were considered the most capable such processors. Their export to China and other countries, which the US has deemed a threat to national security, requires licenses from the Commerce Department which are not usually given. Geng and Yang operated a company called ALX Solutions that was founded in 2022, shortly after the US Commerce Department began requiring licenses to sell such chips to overseas buyers, the Justice Department said. Authorities said that they searched the ALX Solutions office and seized phones belonging to Geng and Yang and found evidence of communications about shipping chips covered by export controls to China through Malaysia in violation of US restrictions. Yang was also accused of overstaying her visa, according to the Justice Department. Geng is a legal permanent resident, authorities said. A federal judge in Los Angeles on Monday ordered Geng released on a US$250,000 bond and scheduled a detention hearing for Yang on Aug 12. The court did not take any pleas in the case. The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security is assisting the probe, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Finding hidden vapes: Inside ICA's mission to uncover contraband at land checkpoints
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Sergeant Muhammad Shahrul Alqaff Mohammad Juri conducting a vehicle check under the supervision of Checkpoint Inspector Dayangku Suhaila Abdul Aziz (left) at Woodlands Checkpoint on Aug 4. SINGAPORE – Vape smugglers driving through Singapore's land checkpoints have concealed e-vaporisers in a car's dashboard, undercarriage, wheel wells and even in an air filter box. These vehicles are specially modified so they can hide larger quantities of vapes, which have been banned in Singapore since 2018. The modus operandi was disclosed to The Straits Times by officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Aug 4 when they gave ST a demonstration of an enhanced inspection at Woodlands Checkpoint. Using a demo car, ICA officers probed every panel and crevice while the search and examination group leader Dayangku Suhaila Abdul Aziz explained what was being examined. One officer with a torchlight went under the steering wheel to check if anything was hidden behind the steering column. Another officer tapped the car's air filter box to determine if it was hollow. The stepped up enforcement comes in the wake of a 2.3 per cent increase in foiled contraband smuggling attempts, as reported in the ICA Annual Statistics 2024. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore More train rides taken in first half-year, but overall public transport use stays below 2019 levels Singapore BlueSG needs time to develop software, refresh fleet, say ex-insiders after winding-down news Asia Cambodia-Thailand border clash a setback for Asean: Vivian Balakrishnan Singapore 'She had a whole life ahead of her': Boyfriend mourns Yishun fatal crash victim Singapore Doctor hounded ex-girlfriend, threatened to share her intimate photos, abducted her off street Asia Trump's transactional foreign policy fuels 'US scepticism' in Taiwan Business Women on corporate boards give firms a competitive advantage, says Australian Governor-General Singapore CEO of sports car distributor accused of offences including multiple counts of false trading In 2023, there were 43,000 contraband cases detected as compared to 44,000 in 2024. These cases included contraband cigarettes and vapes. Sergeant Muhammad Shahrul Alqaff Mohammad Juri conducting a vehicle check at Woodlands Checkpoint on Aug 4. Enforcement measures have been stepped up in the wake of an increase in foiled contraband smuggling attempts. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI In an April 4 post on Facebook, ICA said it detected a total of 308 cases involving vapes at Singapore's air, land and sea checkpoints in 2024. Vehicles that require closer inspections are usually those that have nervous-looking drivers or passengers, or vehicles that appear to be heavily loaded despite having only a driver. Checkpoint Inspector 2 Dayangku, 32, said: 'For smaller quantities, people (smugglers) tend to be more anxious, and they would be hiding the stuff (vapes) in the car, for example, under the floor mats. 'For syndicates, the way of concealment will be more sophisticated... the cars will be modified to conceal the contraband.' In recent cases, syndicates have hidden vapes in a car's spare tyre well, a prime mover's cabin and disguised boxes of vapes with a consignment of foodstuff in a delivery van. From January 2024 to March 2025, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) seized $41 million worth of vapes – nearly fivefold the reported value of vapes seized from 2019 to end-2023, according to numbers compiled by ST. Incoming lorries and buses must go through the Radiographic Scanning Portal. If anomalies are detected by ICA's image analysts, its officers will perform enhanced checks. Vehicles going through the Radiographic Scanning Portal at Woodlands Checkpoint on Aug 4. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI Smaller vehicles such as cars and motorcycles can also be scanned using a mobile X-ray machine, said Checkpoint Inspector Dayangku. On July 29, 2,400 units of vapes and components were found on a lorry entering Singapore at Tuas Checkpoint. More than 5,900 units of e-vaporisers were found in a car entering Singapore at Woodlands Checkpoint on July 24. In a Facebook post on Aug 5, the ICA said it foiled the smuggling attempt made via a Malaysia-registered car. Besides the vapes, enhanced checks on the car also uncovered related components and 150 cartons of heatsticks (heat-not-burn tobacco) hidden in various compartments such as under passenger seats, side panels in the boot and the car bonnet. Sergeant 2 Daniyal Na'im Mohamed Azaman (left) conducting a vehicle search at the Arrival Cargo Zone at Woodlands Checkpoint on Aug 4. Recently smuggling syndicates have hidden vapes in places such as a prime mover's cabin and disguised boxes of vapes with a consignment of foodstuff in a van. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI On July 8, ICA officers at Woodlands Checkpoint scanned a bus and found over 3,800 e-vaporisers and components concealed in the luggage compartment. On June 27, ICA officers at Woodlands Checkpoint thwarted two attempts to smuggle vape products into Singapore in two Malaysia-registered cars. They found over 3,600 e-vaporiser products hidden in the vehicles' compartments. The cases have been referred to the HSA. Besides the officers' intuition, tip-offs or collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, and information from ICA's Integrated Targeting Centre also help in countering smuggling attempts. Deputy Superintendent Ivan Koo Mun Hon, assistant commander of Woodlands Checkpoint, said ICA adopts a multi-pronged approach to tackle the smuggling of contraband like vapes. Deputy Superintendent Ivan Koo Mun Hon told media that ICA adopts a multi-pronged approach in tackling smuggling. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI Checkpoint Inspector Dayangku said: 'I am proud of my team... for successfully detecting and stopping these smugglers at the checkpoint. 'As ICA officers, it is our duty to prevent harmful contraband like e-vaporisers from entering and circulating in Singapore.' Members of the public can report vaping offences to the Tobacco Regulation Branch by calling 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 from 9am to 9pm daily, or online at Under current laws, possessing, using or buying vapes carries a maximum fine of $2,000. Anyone who distributes, imports or sells vapes and their components can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000. Those found in possession of or using pods containing etomidate can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $10,000. If you need help to quit vaping, you can join the Health Promotion Board's I Quit programme by calling the QuitLine on 1800-438-2000.
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Two Chinese nationals in California accused of illegally shipping Nvidia AI chips to China
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Nvidia H100s are advanced chips that can be used to train large language models, and develop self-driving cars. LOS ANGELES, California - Two Chinese nationals were arrested in California and charged with illegally shipping tens of millions of dollars' worth of AI chips to China, including Nvidia H100s, the US Justice Department said on Aug 5. Chuan Geng, 28, of Pasadena, and Shiwei Yang, 28, of El Monte, exported the advanced Nvidia chips and other technology to China from October 2022 through July 2025 without obtaining the required licenses from the US Commerce Department, a criminal complaint says. According to the complaint, Geng and Yang's El Monte-based company, ALX Solutions Inc, was founded in 2022, shortly after the US imposed sweeping export controls on technology to China and began to require licenses for the chips. A spokesperson for Nvidia declined comment. Over 20 shipments from ALX solutions went to shipping and freight forwarding companies in Singapore and Malaysia, which are often used as transshipment points for illegal goods to China. ALX received a US$1 million (S$1.3 million) payment from a China-based company in January 2024 and other payments from companies in Hong Kong and China, not the freight forwarding companies. Nvidia H100s are advanced chips that can be used to train large language models and for other applications, such as developing self-driving cars and medical diagnosis systems. Records show that from at least August 2023 to July 2024, ALX Solutions bought over 200 Nvidia H100 chips from San Jose, California-based server maker Super Micro Computer, declaring that the end users were in Singapore and Japan. Super Micro did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In addition to Nvidia's H100s, the pair are accused of illegally shipping Nvidia video graphics cards known as PNY GE Force RTX 4090, which also require a license for export to China. Geng and Yang appeared in US District Court in Los Angeles late Aug 4, according to the Justice Department. Geng, a permanent resident, was released on US$250,000 bond. Yang, who overstayed her visa, has a detention hearing on Aug 12. REUTERS
