Malaysia sinkhole: Race against time as authorities deploy water jets in search of missing tourist

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Malaysian authorities are using powerful water jets to remove debris from underground sewers as they race against time to find an Indian tourist who vanished into a sinkhole a week ago.

Vijaya Lakshmi Gali, the 48-year-old tourist, fell into the 8m-deep sinkhole at 8.22am on 23 August as she was walking to a nearby temple in Kuala Lumpur’s Masjid India district.

The police official in charge, Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman, said: “We feel there is something behind the heavy debris” and said that they are employing a “technique of blasting and disintegrating the objects” to clear the obstruction.

“On viewing the sewer line with trawl cameras, we found heavy objects and debris blocking the flow underground,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.

“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.

The Kuala Lumpur City Hall has placed over 100 sandbags around the exposed sewer lines to protect them from the disruptive flow of rainwater. Earlier, heavy rains had added to the difficulty of the search, posing dangers to the lives of the divers themselves.

“In that hole, there is a sewage drain and other drains; it’s really deep,” fire operation officer Alimaddia Bukri was quoted as saying by The Straits Times. He added that the rescuers had been diving deep into the sewer amid strong currents and zero visibility.

Meanwhile, the victim’s family has been granted a visa extension and provided with counselling.  The family members “do not expect anything and would only want to ‘see her face’”.

“I have also expressed to them (the victim’s family) that the government is committed to the search,” senior government officer Arvend Applasamy said.

Kuala Lumpur’s mayor has, meanwhile, reassured the public of the city’s safety, stating that daily routines should continue unless evidence suggests otherwise. A task force has been established to assess the safety of structures around the sinkhole area.

“In my view, Kuala Lumpur remains safe,” the mayor said. Maimunah Mohd Sharif was speaking in defence of the city’s safety after a 2015 social media post went viral calling it “the most unsafe place” in Malaysia with a possibility of a “giant sinkhole” opening at any time.

“We will only consider it unsafe if there are studies that provide evidence to the contrary, especially given the alarming media reports.”

The Malay Mail reported on Wednesday that a new sinkhole has appeared on Jalan Masjid India, about 50m from where the tourist vanished.