Minister: Ventilation Duct Accident in NEX Cinema Could’ve Been Due to Overloaded Water

If you happen to like mystery movies, you’re probably used to twists and turns in the cinema, unexpected developments that often leave you shocked.

99% of the time, these twists occur on screen. 

Other times, a giant ventilation duct falls from the ceiling.

Ventilation Duct Collapsed at NEX Cinema

On 30 August, images of a broken ventilation duct that collapsed in a cinema at Shaw Theatres in NEX went viral on social media because it was a rather rare and frightening sight.

We later found out that the ventilation duct had collapsed during a screening of a movie, namely Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. 

While safe distancing measures might have ended up saving some lives, two moviegoers had to be rushed to hospital as they sustained injuries as a result of the collapse.

Needless to say, movie lovers here were startled by the incident. NEX said it was “shocked” by the collapse and pledged to carry out investigations with the help of Shaw Theatres and the authorities.

Experts speculated about the cause of the incident, citing damaged rods, loose nuts and bolts, and a rusty concrete ceiling slab.

The actual cause, however, may be something no one would have guessed.

Minister: Ventilation Duct Accident in NEX Cinema Could’ve Been Due to Overloaded Water

According to National Development Minister Desmond Lee, the collapse of the ventilation duct from the ceiling could actually be due to an accumulation of water overloading the supporting brackets.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday (6 October 2020), Minister Lee gave details of the investigation’s findings so far, in response to a question posed by Melvin Yong about the incident, according to CNA.

Minister Lee said the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) had instructed the owner of NEX to appoint a professional engineer to carry out a “detailed investigation”.

This investigation is still ongoing and expected to be completed by the end of October, but it has already provided some plausible causes.

Preliminary findings in the investigation suggest that a significant amount of water had accumulated in the layer of acoustic material surrounding the air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation (ACMV) duct.

As a result, the water could have overloaded the brackets that were supporting the ACMV duct, causing them to give way.

Is It Safe to Visit Other Cinemas?

While you were constantly complaining about the closure of cinemas during the circuit breaker, seeing something collapse from the ceiling in a cinema magically made you content with Netflix at home.

However, as Minister Lee said, BCA has instructed other cinema operators to inspect their air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation ducts.

They were also told to carry out maintenance and repair works where necessary.

“BCA will assess what further measures need to be taken to prevent a recurrence of such incidents after the investigation has been completed,” Minister Lee said.

So, there’s no reason to avoid going to cinemas, unless you’d like to avoid a headache from watching Tenet.

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