PETALING JAYA: Police believe that the 48-year-old Indian national who fell into a sinkhole near Masjid India today was swept away by strong underground water current.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa explained the ongoing search and rescue (SAR) operation requires careful planning due to public infrastructure concerns, New Straits Times reported.
“I was informed that there is a strong water flow reaching the end over there (the road), and we’ve covered (searched) until the end, but we haven’t found anything.
“We are now (conducting the SAR) in stages and holding discussions with Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) and the relevant agencies regarding the (infrastructure) plan because we can’t act recklessly,“ he was quoted as saying.
READ MORE: Rescuers widen search for woman missing in sinkhole incident along Jalan Masjid India
He said various factors need consideration, including underground gas conditions, and closing pipes and drains might cause flooding in the area.
The victim and her family had been touring Malaysia for almost two months and were planning to return to India.
“We have provided an officer who speaks Tamil, and we are updating them (the family) from time to time. We will inform the embassy to extend their visas,“ Rusdi said.
He said this was an isolated incident and such an incident has never occurred in this area or anywhere else in the city.
Rusdi expressed hope for the victim’s safety and said that with everyone’s cooperation, authorities would be able to locate her.
As of 5.30pm, the SAR operation continued using an excavator despite heavy rain.
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