Casket falls during funeral procession in Mountbatten, scaring onlookers

It's said that we return to the earth when we die, but this accident may have put the deceased a little closer to the earth than onlookers would have liked.

At a funeral procession under a HDB block at block 5, Jalan Batu in Mountbatten, a casket carried by a group of people fell on the road, as onlookers watched in shock.

In the video uploaded to the Singapore Happenings Reddit on Wednesday (March 27), a large group of over 25 people can be seen following a funeral procession at around 1pm that day. 

A group of about eight people are carrying a casket on a bed of poles as they walk down the road.

However, the casket abruptly falls, shocking onlookers.

"Oh my goodness, it dropped! Oh my gosh!" A voice can be heard saying in the background of the video.

The crowd quickly gathers as they pick up the casket, attempting to put it back on the poles. The video ends as they manage to lift the casket up once more.

On TikTok, some users saw this as a sign of "bad luck", although some also felt that the worst was avoided.

"Luckily the body didn't drop out," one user commented.

Other netizens prayed for those involved, wishing them well.

It was an accident, funeral company says

The funeral company involved in this incident is Alliance Casket and Funerals, 8world reported. 

Speaking with 8world, a spokesperson of Alliance Casket and Funerals shared that this was caused by a pole that broke.

And the casket was supported by the deceased's friends and family, not shop employees, they added.

"We haven't spoken with the family, but at the moment they understand that this was an accident. No one wanted this to happen," the spokesperson said.

Responding to queries by AsiaOne, Alliance Casket and Funerals confirmed that the pole broke but declined to comment further.

Poor wood quality?

According to another expert in the funeral industry, this could be the first time in Singapore that a casket has fallen in such a manner.

He explained: "The broken pole is a short wooden bar in the front which usually doesn't break easily. I believe this might have been caused by poor wood quality."

To amend the situation, the expert explained to 8world that the shop or family can do something auspicious to resolve this issue.

He recommended the shop give the family an ang bao containing $388 or $688, or that they invite a Taoist priest to help the deceased pass on peacefully.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com