Malaysia searching manholes, sewage plant again for sinkhole victim as mayor declares Kuala Lumpur ‘safe’

SINGAPORE: Rescuers in Kuala Lumpur will use high-pressure jets of water to cut through debris along two manholes in their search for a 48-year-old Indian tourist who fell into a sinkhole on Jalan Masjid India last Friday, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall said on Monday afternoon (Aug 26).
They will conduct the operation between the manhole at the incident location and another 69m away.
Updating on search and rescue efforts, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall said flushing operations from Sunday evening until 2am on Monday at a different manhole farther away where slow-flowing water was observed had been fruitless.
Rescuers are also continuing to search Pantai Dalam treatment plant, where the sewer ends, said Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
The authorities have said the search would be conducted until the missing woman, identified as Ms Vijayaletchumy, is found. She had disappeared after falling into the sinkhole on Jalan Masjid India while walking to a nearby temple last Friday morning.
Since the incident, claims from 2015 have resurfaced on social media that there was potential for a “giant sinkhole” to emerge in the capital at any time.
But on Sunday, Kuala Lumpur mayor Maimunah Mohd Sharif said the city “remains safe unless proven otherwise by studies”.
The city has been developed for a long time and claims that it was unsafe for development must be backed up by strong evidence, she said, as reported by news agency Bernama.
In response, a task force that includes the Department of Minerals and Geosciences, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, the Royal Malaysia Police and the Public Works Department has been set up to study the safety of development in the capital, she said.
“Based on the current situation, Kuala Lumpur remains safe unless proven otherwise by studies,” Ms Maimunah said.