THE search and rescue operation (SAR) to find an Indian tourist swallowed by a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur enters its fifth day today.
Vijayaletchumy, 48, from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, went missing after falling into the 8m-deep sinkhole on Friday morning.
The SAR team plans to continue using a high-pressure sewer drain jetter machine to break rock debris found in the sinkhole in front of Wisma Yakin in Jalan Masjid India. The machine was used to break up debris about 4m down the manhole to allow the team to search for any foreign objects among the rubble.
Dang Wangi district police chief Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman said cameras detected rock debris believed to be from the sinkhole, positioned 4m from its edge.
"This debris needs to be removed so that the SAR team can check for any foreign objects, including the possibility of the victim being trapped in the debris. So far, we have performed jetting four times, and we will continue until the debris is completely broken down," he said at a press conference at the scene last night.
Indah Water Konsortium has flushed all the manholes along the sewer line and monitored its Pantai Dalam treatment plant but has found no new leads. City Hall has placed about 100 sandbags around the sinkhole to prevent rainwater from entering the excavation area, Bernama reported.
The victim's four relatives had their visas extended by the Immigration Department yesterday, said an aide to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who met with them at the sinkhole site. – August 27, 2024.
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