Coroners Act 2010 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 5 · Circumstances Under Which Inquiry Is Held
24. Jurisdiction of Coroner to hold inquiry
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2026.
A Coroner has the jurisdiction to hold an inquiry to determine the cause of death of any person where —
Coroner
“Coroner” means a Coroner appointed under section 3(1), and includes the State Coroner;
the body of the person is found in Singapore;
the death occurred in Singapore;
the cause of the death occurred in Singapore; (d)the death occurred on board, or as a result of an occurrence on board, a Singapore‑registered aircraft or Singapore‑registered vessel;
the death occurred (even if outside Singapore) on board, or as a result of an occurrence on board, a cross-border train when the person, at the time of death, was on a journey to or from somewhere in Singapore, and that cross-border train enters or returns to Singapore with the body of the deceased; or
the cause or suspected cause of the death (even if it occurred outside Singapore) is connected with a cross-border incident and the body of the deceased is sent to Singapore pursuant to incident management operations.
The Coroner has the jurisdiction under subsection (1)(b), (c) and (d) despite the absence of a body.
body
“body” means a dead person, and includes any part of a person (whether or not the identity of the person concerned is known when the part is discovered or is later determined) —(a)without which no person can live; or(b)discovered in such circumstances or such state that it is probable that the person is dead,but does not include a foetus or a stillborn child within the meaning of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 2021;
In this section —
“cross-border railway” and “cross-border train” have the meanings given by section 3(1) of the Cross-Border Railways (Border Control Co-location) Act 2026;
“cross-border incident” and “incident management operations” have the meanings given by section 6(2) of the Cross-Border Railways (Border Control Co-location) Act 2026.