KUALA LUMPUR: A telescopic camera is expected to be used by the search and rescue (SAR) team tonight in their efforts to locate the Jalan Masjid India sinkhole victim.

According to a source, the camera combines the technologies of the push rod and crawler cameras that were previously used.

“This equipment is being offered for free by a private entity to assist the SAR team in their efforts and will be used tonight,“ he told Bernama.

He explained that the use of the camera would assist the SAR team in obtaining clearer images, particularly at the second manhole in the search area clogged with debris and backlog.

A Bernama survey at the scene found heavy machinery such as cranes present at the site, believed to be assisting the SAR operation, which had now entered the eighth day.

Earlier, Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said it was too risky for divers to continue with the SAR operation.

This, he said, was due to several risk factors, including strong underground water currents, limited space for rescuers, and the presence of debris and hard blockages in the search area.

On Aug 23, an Indian woman identified as G. Vijaya Lakshmi, 48, went missing after falling into an eight-metre-deep sinkhole in Jalan Masjid India while on her way to a nearby temple.