Tourist swallowed by KL sinkhole: Rescue teams flush manholes in search of missing woman

Search and rescue efforts have entered the fourth day after a woman fell into a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur last Friday (Aug 23) morning.

The missing woman, 48-year-old Indian national Vijayalaksmi, had been walking along the pavement in Jalan Masjid India near Malayan Mansion when a part of it caved in, causing her to fall eight metres.

17 hours into their search, the rescue team found a pair of slippers belonging to Vijayalaksmi.

Last Sunday, Kuala Lumpur mayor Maimunah Mohd Sharif said that a flushing operation would be conducted after two manholes were found with slow water flow in the sewage system.

"For now, we are not sure what is causing this, but it could be debris or something else that is blocking the flow of water," Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Rozihan Anwar Mamat had said in a press conference. 

A thorough search would also be conducted at the sewage system endpoint at the Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) sewage plant in Pantai Dalam, The Star reported.

The search will be continuing indefinitely even if the flushing produced no results, Dang Wangi OCPD assistant commissioner Sulizme Affendy Sulaiman said on Monday.

"We cannot ascertain yet how long the search and rescue will be conducted, but rest assured that the search will be conducted until the victim is found," he added.

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Kuala Lumpur is safe, mayor says

Last Sunday, Kuala Lumpur mayor Maimunah addressed concerns over safety in the city following the sinkhole incident, Bernama reported.

This comes after a Facebook post from 2015 resurfaced online, claiming that Kuala Lumpur is unsafe and has a possibility of forming a "giant sinkhole" at any given time.

"We have established a task force, including the Department of Geology and the Public Works Department, to look into and study this matter," she said at a press conference.

"However, based on the current situation, Kuala Lumpur remains safe unless proven otherwise by studies".

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khooyihang@asiaone.com