KUALA LUMPUR: Heavy debris from a sinkhole that swallowed 48-year-old Vijayalaksmi last Friday has piled up along underground sewer lines, hampering search and rescue (SAR) efforts.
Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman, who is the operations commander of the incident, said that debris comprising rocks and pieces of concrete that had been swept along by strong water currents are obstructing access along sewer lines closest to the sinkhole.
High-powered water jets are being used to break up the debris so that a smooth flow can resume when the area is flushed out.
“On viewing the sewer line with trawl cameras, we found heavy objects and debris blocking the flow underground.
“We feel there is something behind the heavy debris.
“Using the technique of blasting and disintegrating the objects, we can dislodge the blockage and have everything, including any remains, drained out.
“So far, we have yet to uncover any clues to the whereabouts of the victim,” he said.
He said Kuala Lumpur City Hall has placed more than 100 sandbags around the underground sewer lines exposed at the sinkhole to stop rainwater from gushing in and disrupting the SAR work.
Sulizmie Affendy added that the SAR for Vijayalaksmi, an Indian national, is still going on at the Indah Water sewer plant at Pantai Dalam.
Asked if the authorities will seek foreign expertise for the search efforts, he said rescuers are currently relying on local experts from multiple agencies and are hopeful of a positive outcome.
To ensure the safety of the public, a task force comprising officers from the Mineral and Geoscience Department and the Public Works Department has been formed to study the soil and geological conditions in the area, he said.
He urged the public to avoid the scene of the incident because there are safety concerns.
“We have stationed police personnel in the vicinity of the sinkhole to keep the public away as it can be a danger to them. We advise them to keep away from the area,” he said.
Earlier, it was announced by the office of the Deputy Prime Minister that the visas for Vijayalaksmi’s family have been extended for a month.
Special officer to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Arvend Applasamy, when met at the scene of the incident in Masjid India, confirmed this.
“The extension is effective today (yesterday). The government is also ensuring that the family is being taken care of, and a counsellor has been appointed to help them at all times.
“Of course the family is sad, but it is my understanding that they have accepted fate and they told me that they do not expect anything and would only want to ‘see her face’.
“I have also expressed to them that the government is committed to the search,” he said.
Vijayalaksmi, a tourist from India, fell into the 8m-deep sinkhole that formed beneath her feet as she walked along the pavement on Jalan Masjid India at 8.22am last Friday.
