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Authorities have stopped search and rescue efforts in the India Masjid Road sinkhole area, but will continue the search and rescue operation at the Pantai Dalam treatment plant at the end of the sewer, 7 km from the site, The Star reported on Friday.
The Fire and Rescue Department said the decision was made after an investigation showed it was too risky to continue using scuba diving methods for rescue efforts.
Authorities have previously said the search for the 48-year-old tourist, named by local media as Ms Vijaya Lakshmi, will continue until she is found. She was reportedly on a two-month vacation with her family and was planning to return home soon when she fell into the eight-meter-deep sinkhole on Jalan Masjid India on the morning of August 23.
Authorities said part of a large concrete manhole at the bottom of the sinkhole had broken and Ms Lakshmi may have fallen in and been swept away.
But recent heavy rains in Kuala Lumpur have caused strong currents in sewers, complicating divers’ work to clear these large pipes. Stubborn debris in the pipes may also have prevented Ms Lakshmi from being washed to the treatment plant, where metal screens are in place to catch large objects.
Rescuers used camera crawlers and ground-penetrating radar to search for Ms Lakshmi and tried using high-pressure water jets to break up debris in the sewer and flush it out, but a week later the victim is still missing.
Dr Zaliha said on Saturday that she had discussed the decision to stop rescue with India’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, BN Reddy, adding that he appreciated Malaysia’s efforts and understood the decision.
“If God willing, they will help us explain our decision to the victims’ families,” she said, adding that any potential compensation for the victims’ families would be “discussed.”
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the mayor of Kuala Lumpur both said the capital remained safe, but shops in the Masjid India area said business had fallen sharply due to a drop in the number of locals and tourists.
Anwar said on Friday that a geotechnical study had determined the cause of the accident and deemed the site safe, adding that any area deemed at risk of becoming a sinkhole should be dealt with immediately, The Star reported.
Dr Zaliha reiterated on Saturday: “Kuala Lumpur is generally safe.”
“We have also discussed with people who are more professional than us, and perhaps the geological department will provide more information about the structural safety of Kuala Lumpur.”
Experts say sinkholes can be caused by excessive extraction of groundwater during underground construction projects, leaks from broken pipes or sewers that erode the soil beneath the surface, or mining activities that cause large areas of cavities to collapse.
In Kuala Lumpur, the soil is limestone, and rainwater collects in cracks in the limestone, causing erosion. As the limestone dissolves and is washed away, the cracks widen until the ground above becomes unstable and collapses.
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