2 Rotting Corpses Were Found in a Bukit Merah HDB Block Within a Month

Within a single month, there were two cases of people dying in their homes alone.

And in those cases, the bodies were only discovered after they had decomposed, leading to a putrid smell.

Here’s what is going on at a HDB block located at Indus Road and how residents are still affected by the smell.

2 Rotting Corpses Were Found in a Bukit Merah HDB Block Within a Month

On 5 May 2023, a 41-year-old Malay man was found dead in an HDB unit on the 14th floor.

According to Zaobao, the man had probably died about three to four days before his body was discovered.

It was only after his body decomposed, and a foul smell emerged, that he was discovered.

The deceased reportedly has asthma, the neighbour said, but he was unaware of the cause of death.

The second case happened on 2 June 2023, this time on the ninth-floor. The deceased is a 51-year-old Chinese man.

A resident on the same level told Zaobao that he first noticed the putrid stench in the air on 31 May 2023.

When the stench didn’t disappear, but increased in the next few days, the resident called the police for assistance.

Police officers who arrived at the scene on 2 June 2023 discovered the body of the deceased within the flat.

Responding to enquiries, the police confirmed that they were alerted to the two cases on 5 May and 2 June. Preliminary investigations ruled out homicide and investigations are ongoing for the case on 5 May.

Putrid Stench Still Lingering Within The HDB Block

According to the resident who called the police, the stench lingered of decomposing bodies lingered within the same level.

“Even though they’ve moved the body away, the stench is still very prominent. Especially when it’s very windy, that smell of decomposition is unbearable.

“Even though I spray the disinfectant a few times every day, the smell still lingers.”

Residents on the 14th floor told the reporter that the smell has already dissipated.

On the reporter’s walk-around, no smell was noticed along the corridor of the 9th floor. However, the staircase space on the 10th level still has the smell of decomposition.

Cleaners Can Only Enter with Family’s Approval

According to the DDQ Services, a company specialising in after death trauma and crime scene cleaning, they can only enter the homes after family members have given approval.

Even if HDB was to engage their services, it would be after they cannot locate any family members, relatives, friends or colleagues.

It doesn’t help that some family members are unwilling to fork out the cash for such services.

According to the firm’s boss, he had once encountered a family member who only engaged their services six months after the incident happened.

“Maybe they were trying to sell the house or rent it out.”

When they’re engaged for such a service, cleaners have to suit up and use specialised equipment and chemicals sourced from their own supplier.

Each job typically takes three to eight hours.