Singapore – Regional broadcaster Channel NewsAsia launches a high-end documentary series, Days of Disaster, on pivotal episodes in Singapore between the early ‘60s and ‘90s. Shot in High Definition with high quality drama-reconstruction and Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) elements, the 5-part series brings to life these catastrophic events that pushed Singapore’s transformation from a struggling new nation to the stable First World power it is today.
Days of Disaster focuses on several key events that pushed the nation to the brink of catastrophe and how Singapore overcame each disaster. With exclusive interviews with key eyewitnesses and power players involved, the series charts the chain of events leading up to the disasters, minute-by-minute examination of the central crises, and the aftermath, many told for the first time.
The hour-long episodes in the series cover these events:
1. SQ Hijack [the hijack of Singapore Airlines Flight SQ117 in 1991]
2. Bukit Ho Swee Fire [in 1961]
3. Spyros Explosion [the explosion of the Greek tanker, S.T. Spyros, in Jurong shipyard in 1978]
4. Hotel New World Collapse [in 1986]
5. MegaFloods [various events of severe flooding and drought in Singapore]
Tan Lek Hwa, Vice President, Current Affairs, said, “Extensive in both scale and depth of coverage, Days of Disaster is the culmination of thorough research, state of the art media technology and vivid storytelling. As some viewers would have lived through these events in their lifetime, we had to find fresh ground and angles to take viewers through these milestone events of Singapore’s history, to piece together the facts of the events and provide an educational experience for everyone.”
The series will be shown on Channel NewsAsia from 2 February and will be available as video-on-demand from a week after the television broadcast of each episode.
SQ Hijack: Sunday, 1 February (SG/HK/MNL time)
Bukit Ho Swee Fire: Sunday, 8 February (SG/HK/MNL time)
Spyros Explosion: Sunday, 15 February (SG/HK/MNL time)
Hotel New World Collapse: Sunday, 22 February (SG/HK/MNL time)
MegaFloods: Sunday, 8 March (SG/HK/MNL time)
