Three Killed, One Missing at Singapore Metro CollapseThree workers, one Malaysian, one Chinese and one Singaporean, have been killed on 20th April at a metro collapse on a Circle Line worksite in Singapore. The last missing man is Singaporean.The accident caused part of Nicoll Highway, leading into Singapore's business district, to fold. The cave-in caused a crater 30 m deep, 100 m wide and 150 m long along Nicoll Highway. The collapse of the highway has been caused by the collapse of a temporary wall in the tunnel area. The structure collapsed inwards. Excavation works at the site have been going on for the past six months and they had gone down up to 31 m. They had another 5 m to go before excavation works in the area would have been completed.The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has opened an investigation into the cause. A report should be released in about two to three months. The government may also set up an independent inquiry, probably headed by a magistrate. It is too early to say whether either of its two contractors, Nishimatsu and its local joint venture partner Lum Chang, are liable. They were contracted to work on the Nicoll Highway and Boulevard stations and tunnels on stage 1 of the Circle Line, slated for completion sometime in 2007.The collapse along Nicoll Highway will affect the completion date of the Circle Line. The line is intended to link suburban areas and complement the existing MRT lines running through the city. Construction of the Circle Line has been on schedule, with 50% of the civil works for the stations and 75% of the work on the tunnel along stage one completed. The entire Circle Line, stretching 33 km, is being built in five stages at a total estimated cost of S$6.66 billion. Click sg/15. Visit www.lta.gov.sg 18/04.