Rat in Tangs Market Had Fallen on a Pregnant Woman’s Food Tray

Shocking Rat Saga Unveiled: Rodent Falls on Pregnant Woman’s Food Tray at Tangs Market

The mystery behind the viral rat video has been unveiled, and prepare yourself, as you read on, because the truth might be too unbelievable.

On 27 Nov, a video showing a rat lying on a tray at the Tangs Market food court went viral on the social media platform Xiaohongshu.

Although the video had been deleted, reposts of it had already circulated within hours.

Based on the video, the reason for how the rat got there, and who owned the tray of food, remained unknown.

In fact, some people in the background of the video didn’t even seem to notice the rat initially – until it began to twitch.

Moreover, the rat had a tail so long it dangled over the edge of the tray, twitching intermittently.

According to Stomp, a member of the public present at the scene claimed that the rat had fallen from the ceiling.

This was verified by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in a Facebook post, revealing that there was a rat infestation in the ceilings of the restaurant and common areas. Yuck.

However, whether that was exactly the reason for the rat lying flat there was not clearly stated.

The Truth: The Rat Did Fall From The Ceiling

Yes, the rat did take a dive from the ceiling. Ouch.

The owner of the tray of food was a woman, 16 weeks pregnant, and her family were having lunch at Fei Siong Group’s restaurant EAT last Saturday, on 25 Nov.

Recounting the incident with CNA, the woman’s mother, who did not want to be named, said that her daughter was halfway through her meal when she felt liquid dripping on her hand when she was holding a pair of chopsticks.

The liquid also stained the cardigan that her daughter had on.

And when her daughter looked up to locate the source of the drip,

No.. Stop…

There, she saw the rat.

Just imagine the rat, staring straight back at her seconds before it fell to her direction.

After spotting the creature, she stood up and backed away from her seat.

Seconds later, she heard the dreadful loud thud as the rat fell and landed on her food tray.

She ran off screaming and running towards her family members at another table, frantically saying she needed to wash her hands.

What was most worrying was not for herself but for her unborn baby, who might be affected by the bodily fluids of the half-dead rat.

The woman then visited the emergency department at Gleneagles Hospital, and that cost S$1,152.06.

On Monday, she followed that up with a gynaecologist consultation. She was prescribed antibiotics and probiotics because of the risks of contamination with rodents and the potential risks of leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals, and can cause a wide range of symptoms, including more severe ones like kidney damage and liver failure.

In a medical memo, the doctor affirmed the well-being of both the foetus and mother, according to CNA.

The Apology: Gift Card and Hamper

The poor 27-year-old mother-to-be was left traumatised as she was worried about the health of her baby.

On Saturday, the day of the incident, a Tangs duty manager offered the store’s apologies for what had happened.

Later that evening, Tangs asked the affected lady’s mother for her home address where a “wellness hamper” could be sent.

But no Tangs! The apology did not seem sincere enough for the affected family, who had to spend so much money on the hospital bills and more time to overcome this trauma that might not even be overcome.

In response, she had replied to the management that the wellness hamper was not important, and they wanted to know how Tangs is going to resolve this matter.

In subsequent messages via Whatsapp, Tangs also offered a gift card and requested the receipts of the hospital bill.

It was unclear if this constituted an offer by Tangs to pay the medical bills.

And perhaps the lack of clarity on this has caused the family to feel insulted by Tangs management for not treating this matter seriously.

In the words of the mother as interviewed by CNA, “Tangs management is telling us we have to pay for their failure to maintain proper food safety in a food court. This is unfair to any layman. We are totally appalled.”

She noted that costs were incurred for parking charges and the need to utilise annual leave to accompany her daughter to the hospital.

Perhaps only a full bearing of the cost would help the situation.

At least the National Environment Agency (NEA) will be taking enforcement action against the building management for rat infestation in the ceiling areas.

Following the incident, Tangs Market was closed today for further deep cleaning and sanitation works.

We are still waiting to hear from Fei Siong Group and follow-up actions taken by Tangs management.