KUALA LUMPUR: It is understood there is a strong water current running underneath where the sinkhole appeared which is interfering with rescue operations, says Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa.
Comm Rusdi said this after visiting the site of the incident where an Indian national woman, identified as Vijayalaksmi, 48 was swallowed by the sudden appearance of a sinkhole just opposite Masjid India, here on Friday (Aug 23).
“The search and rescue (SAR) team has covered (the search) till the end but have not made any discovery, so now it will be done in stages through discussions with Indah Water Consortium (IWK) based on their plans (sewage).
“We cannot just simply do anything because from what I have been informed any sort of service disruption can cause flooding, so we have to do everything in stages. This is the advice we have received from the Fire and Rescue Department and IWK.
“We also have to look at the gas pipe (underneath), so we cannot just ‘enter’. We are praying by night we can find the victim, hopefully alive,” he told the press.
At present, the management of the area is under the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), IWK, as such there was nothing extraordinary arranged, he added.
The police he said were dependent on the expert advice of the mentioned authorities, especially like road closures or on other matters and would not compromise on the safety as well as the security of the public.
On the SAR efforts, Rusdi said the focus will be near the chamber that has a strong current, where the victim is believed to be stuck.
He also mentioned that a similar incident whereby a sinkhole happened at the same place but was already repaired.
From the closed-circuit television (CCTV), he confirmed that only one victim had fallen as a result of 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.
“Right now, the victim’s family members are still sensitive, so we need to give them time to cool down because they were here on a holiday and we hope the media does not disturb them.
“We have someone to inform them from time to time. We will also help them by informing the Indian embassy as their visas need to be extended for an extension of their stay here,” he said.
