and they were taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and the National University Hospital. Of the 28 injured, 2 were SMRT staff (including the driver) and 3 had to remain warded in hospital for observation. The collision caused massive delays on the East West MRT Line. More commuters sought treatment thereafter, which saw the number of injured rising to 38. Speaking to the media hours after the accident occurred, Khaw said he was "deeply sorry" and it was "an awful day". It was revealed at a press conference that the collision occurred due to an "inadvertent removal" of a signalling software protection feature. Train services between Joo Koon and Tuas Link station had to be suspended for four days to allow signaling contractor Thales to conduct further assurance checks. The last train collision occurred over 2 decades ago in 1993 which resulted in 156 injured. According to a statement from SMRT and LTA, the protective "bubble" around the first train was "unexpectedly disabled" when it passed a trackside device, which was not compatible with the new signalling system. The second train failed to keep safe distances from the first train as it moved forward automatically. Speaking to reporters at a press conference on 21 November, Khaw said that Thales, the provider of the new signalling system, "could have done better" to avoid the Joo Koon collision. Khaw asserts that if one disregards the collision and the flooding incident, SMRT was "actually making good progress" with regards to train operation. Education Prior moving to Singapore, Khaw attended and graduated from Chung Ling High School. In 1973, he was awarded the Colombo Plan scholarship from the Ministry of Education to study a combined degree programme in engineering and commerce at the University of Newcastle in Australia. He graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours Class I) degree and Bachelor of Commerce degree. He later went on to complete a Master of Science degree in industrial engineering from the National University of Singapore in 1982. He was awarded Doctor of Engineering honoris causa from the University of Newcastle in 2002. Personal life Khaw is of Malaysian Chinese descent. He is a Buddhist and a self-professed "religious man". In 2010, Khaw underwent a heart bypass operation and after his recovery, it was reported that he had switched to a vegan diet, avoiding all meat, fish and dairy products. In March 2019,