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RESCUE personnel are still searching for a 48-year-old foreign woman who went missing after being swallowed by a sinkhole along Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur this morning.
In an effort to find the woman, the rescue team is excavating a wider area after a manual search failed to locate the Indian national.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Rusdi Mohd Isa has reported that there is a strong water current running underneath the area where the sinkhole occurred.
Rusdi said the rescue efforts will focus near the chamber with the strong current, where the victim is believed to be trapped.
He also mentioned that a similar sinkhole had occurred at the same location recently, but it had already been repaired.
“The search and rescue (SAR) team has covered the area but has not made any discoveries, so now it will be done in stages through discussions with Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) based on their sewage plans.
“We cannot just do anything haphazardly because, from what I have been informed, any disruption can cause flooding, so we have to proceed in stages. This is the advice we have received from the Fire and Rescue Department and IWK.
“We also have to be cautious of the gas pipes underneath, so we cannot just ‘enter’. We are praying that we can find the victim by tonight, hopefully alive,” he told the press after visiting the site.
Currently, the rescue efforts are being carried out by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the Fire and Rescue Department, and IWK.
Rusdi also said the police are relying on expert advice, especially regarding road closures and other matters, and would not compromise on public safety and security.
He confirmed that, based on closed-circuit television footage, only one victim had fallen into the sinkhole.
“From what we know, the victim is an Indian national tourist who has been here for two months, and tomorrow was supposed to be her last day in the country before returning to India.
“At the moment, the victim’s family members are understandably distressed, so we need to give them time to calm down as they were here on holiday, and we hope the media will respect their privacy.
“We have someone to keep them informed regularly. We will also assist them by notifying the Indian embassy, as their visas need to be extended for a longer stay,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Rozihan Anwar Mamat, the operations commander, said more search personnel would be deployed following an expansion of the area to be excavated with a DBKL excavator.
“We have conducted a manual search but failed to locate the victim, so we will continue to carry out more extensive dredging of the sinkhole,” he said when speaking to reporters at the scene, as reported by Bernama.
Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi appealed to the public to comply with instructions issued by the authorities at the sinkhole location.
Nanta, who expressed sympathy for those affected by the incident, said the order was issued for everyone’s safety.
“I urge everyone to stay calm and allow the responsible parties to take immediate and appropriate action,” he said in a post on Facebook today.
The Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department said in a statement that they were informed of the incident at 8.22am. – August 23, 2024.