Bukit Timah residents work together to push car out of water in flash flood

Residents of a private residential area in Bukit Timah got their hands - and feet - dirty after cars were trapped in ankle-high water.

Following heavy rainfall in Singapore on the afternoon of April 20, National water agency PUB issued flood risk warnings for 18 locations, including the flood-prone Bukit Timah.

A video shared to TikTok showed a rubbish bin slowly floating away in muddy water that had submerged Queen's Road.

The tyres of a blue car were also partially submerged in the water, trapping the car in its position.

Three men could be seen pushing the car out of the ankle-deep water while drenched in the rain, while another was holding onto an umbrella and coordinating their movements.

Mr Xu Yuming, 64, who has lived in the area for 22 years, told Shin Min Daily News that it was raining hard and water was flowing fast.

"I've lived here for so long and I've never seen anything like it."

He shared that his neighbour across the street spotted the trapped car and rushed into the rain to help.

"At first, even the three of them couldn't push the car, so the young man in the car got out to help, and a female neighbour next door also joined in," said Mr Xu.

"In fact, the driver didn't ask for help. Everyone voluntarily helped."

He said that the driver was a little dazed by the situation, and contacted the authorities afterwards.

"During the process, I also saw several cars trying to drive into the flooded area, so I quickly directed them to take a detour."

Mr Xu told the Chinese daily that another car was trapped in the water, but fortunately, the water receded quickly and the car was towed away at about 9pm.

It was reported that another car nearby was moved away at about 10pm.

Flash floods have become a common occurrence in Singapore lately amid the rainy weather.

PUB said in a Facebook post that their Quick Response Team was deployed to direct traffic away from flooded areas and provide assistance to motorists.

"The heaviest rainfall of 113.2mm was recorded in central Singapore from 4.15pm to 6.25pm. This amount corresponds to nearly half of Singapore's average monthly rainfall in April, and lies within the top 2 per cent of maximum daily rainfall records since 1978."

Just last week, a coffee shop in Yishun saw water levels rise to ankle height, forcing diners to leave and disrupting business operations.