Bus accident triggers riot in Singapore

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Dozens were injured and 27 arrested after riots broke out in Singapore's "Little India" district on Sunday (December 8. The violence began after a Bangladeshi migrant worker was struck and killed by a bus.

In the worst rioting to hit this city-state in over 30 years, police say street violence broke out Sunday night in Singapore's "Little India" near Racecourse Road after a fatal bus accident occurred at around 9:30 PM.

A Bangladeshi immigrant worker was killed after being struck by a private bus near the junction of Racecourse Road and Hampshire Road.

Following the accident and continuing into the evening, reports say as many as 400 mostly young, ethnically-Indian men rioted, overturning two police cars. The rioters also destroyed private vehicles and set an ambulance on fire.

Police arrested 27 suspects and said at least a dozen people suffered injuries. As of the early hours of Monday, police said the streets were mostly calm, but officers in riot gear continued to comb the area, searching for suspects.

Rioting in Singapore is rare, and carries a maximum penalty of seven years in jail as well as a possible canning. This weekend's civil unrest marks the first time in 30 years that Singapore has seen street riots and Police commissioner Ng Joo Hee condemned the violence as "intolerable"

The Singaporean Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, said there was no justification for the unrest and condemned what he called the "destructive and criminal" behavior of the rioters. Prime Minister Lee also vowed to track down and punish all who may have been involved.