Glass pane falls from height at Star Vista mall, injuring 6 (2025)

SINGAPORE – Four people were taken to hospital after a glass pane fell from height at The Star Vista mall in Buona Vista on the morning of April 20.

The four were among six people assessed for injuries and were taken to the National University Hospital, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force, which added that it received a call for assistance at about 11.30am. Two others declined to be sent to hospital.

The Star Vista said on April 20 that a glass facade panel on level three of the mall “fractured”, and six shoppers sustained non-life-threatening injuries like minor cuts and lacerations.

It added that its on-site first-aid team was deployed immediately to provide care, and, as a precaution, the affected area was cordoned off and additional safety barriers were installed.

Photos shared with The Straits Times by mall visitors showed a glass panel, which had been located outside the entrance of The Star Performing Arts Centre, broken on the ground on the first floor next to two eateries, HarriAnns Nonya Table and Bingz.

Mr Peter Hoskins was on the mall’s second floor when he heard a commotion and saw shattered glass on the ground next to Chinese eatery Bingz.

There was a lot of glass on the ground, he said, adding that he had been situated directly between the levels from where the glass fell and where it landed.

“It certainly made me jump, thinking about where I was standing, and whether it was a good idea (to be there) or not,” he said.

“Some staff were... clearly and loudly telling people to stay away from the area,” he said, adding that he saw first responders at the scene tending to multiple people who had their heads bandaged.

The mall is owned by New Creation Church, which had an 11.30am service around the time of the incident.

Another mall visitor, who wanted to be known only as Ms Heng, was dining at a nearby eatery with her friend when she heard a loud crash.

When she went to find out what had happened, she saw shattered glass on the ground around HarriAnns Nonya Table and a crowd gathered outside the Peranakan eatery.

HarriAnns Nonya Table said the glass panel struck its seating area, adding that the outlet will remain closed on April 21 as a safety precaution.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said on April 20 that the incident involved a non-laminated tempered glass panel, and preliminary assessment indicates that this was a case of spontaneous glass breakage, likely caused by a rare phenomenon involving microscopic impurities present in the glass.

It noted that the structural integrity of the building remains unaffected, and a visual inspection of other similar glass panels did not reveal any sign of defects.

BCA said it will serve a Notice to Maintain to the building owner, which requires the owner to appoint an appropriate Qualified Person (QP) to investigate the cause of the incident, inspect the condition of the rest of the building facade, and propose appropriate permanent rectification measures.

The building owner will then be required to implement these measures according to the QP’s recommendations, BCA added.

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