1. Smacked across 3 lanes of the KPE tunnel, a collision has taken place; one car is on fire, another has overturned and there are multiple casualties in a bus carrying 40 passengers. Motorists from some 50 vehicles are trying to evacuate from the thick smoke.

2. This is the emergency scenario of Exercise Odyssey, a joint emergency exercise conducted today by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) together with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and Singapore Police Force (SPF) to test the operational readiness of the various public agencies during an emergency.

3. Apart from members from LTA, SCDF and SPF, participants of this exercise also include residents living along the KPE route, so as to get them familiar with the emergency procedures in the tunnel.

4. The exercise is part of LTA's regular emergency planning process for its road infrastructure and is part of a series of integrated testing and commissioning processes before the official opening of Phase 1 of KPE is opened to public on 26 October.

5. Personnel from LTA's Intelligent Transport Systems Centre (ITSC), who will undertake the day-to-day operations of the KPE tunnel, and LTA's Emergency Preparedness Division, who oversee the development of emergency procedures for LTA's various road infrastructure, have spent the last six months planning and devising strategies with SCDF and SPF to deal with different emergency scenarios that could happen in the tunnel.

6. This joint-exercise is part of an ongoing effort by LTA, SCDF and SPF to synergise the operational readiness of its emergency responders, and enhance the cooperation between the agencies.

7. "Today's exercise marks another step forward in our preparations for the official opening of KPE Phase 1 tunnel on 26 October. This is part of our continuing efforts to ensure that the team running the day-to-day operations of the KPE tunnel can react swiftly and effectively to any incidents or emergencies that may take place in the tunnel," said LTA Chief Executive, Mr Yam Ah Mee.

8. "Motorists travelling in the KPE tunnel can be assured that the tunnel is safe and emergency procedures are well in place to ensure that any incident in the tunnel can and will be taken care of at any time of the day," added Mr Yam.

Emergency Procedures

10. In the event of any major incidents, the LTA's EMAS recovery team will be deployed and will arrive on site within 8 minutes. The SCDF would also be alerted immediately for fire fighting and rescue operations. The KPE-OCC will also advise motorists through the EMAS signs and traffic signs leading to the tunnel.

11. Motorists should not panic and note the following key emergency procedures:
a. Follow signs/radio announcements
b. Leave vehicle if necessary; find nearest escape stair cases or cross-passage doors.
c. Call for help on the emergency phone or call LTA Hotline at 1800-CALL LTA (1800-225 5582).

About the KPE Tunnel

13. A unique feature of the KPE tunnel is the traffic signals and barriers located just before the entry slip roads of the tunnel.

14. In the event of severe congestion, the KPE-OCC can control the traffic signals and lower these barriers to prevent motorists from entering the tunnel to add on to the build-up traffic.