KL sinkhole incident: SAR to resume today after 17-hour search turns up only victim's slippers
Fire and Rescue Department and the Malaysian Civil Defence Force are actively working to extract a victim during the search and rescue operation yesterday. — Bernama pic
Saturday, 24 Aug 2024 8:40 AM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — Rescuers looking for the Indian tourist who fell into a sinkhole that opened up at her feet in Jalan Masjid India here could only find a pair of slippers belonging to her near the location after almost 17 hours of searching yesterday.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said the slippers were found floating in the excavated area in the morning of the incident.
“We took a long time to look for the victim and the scuba team also entered the location... currently (the victim) has yet to be found.
“We searched 100 per cent of the area where the victim fell,” he said at the media conference at the incident location slightly after midnight.
Fire and Rescue Department Firefighting and Rescue Operations Division director Nordin Pauzi, Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Sulizme Affendy Sulaiman and Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) chief executive officer Narendran Maniam were also present at the media conference.
Rusdi said that the search and rescue operation (SAR) had to be suspended at 12.30 am and will resume at 9 am as heavy rain and the dark environment complicated rescue efforts.
The rescue team also faced various challenges, including strong currents, gas and sewerage that could endanger the scuba team, he added.
He stressed that the location around the area was safe but advised the public to reduce movement in the area.
“We will tighten controls at the location and the public is reminded to reduce movement and to be cautious,” he added.
Meanwhile Narendran said that IWK would assist the search by opening up every sewer manhole along a seven-kilometre stretch of the sewer line that ended at the treatment plant in Pantai Dalam here.
“We will go to the end and open up every manhole and we will check them all. We have started since noon today but have found nothing yet.
“If we did, the victim would have been stuck at the inter pump station but there is nothing so far,” he said, adding that it was possible for a human body to be carried away in the sewer line as it had a diameter of 1.5 metres and was over 3 metres in diameter at the end.
“It is really a big pipe as it carries all the sewerage around Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
The victim, known as Vijayaletchumy, 48, from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, India, was walking with her family through an area in front of the Malayan Mansion, Jalan Masjid India before she fell into a sinkhole that had opened up under her at about 8.20 am yesterday. — Bernama
‘This isn’t why I brought my mom to Malaysia,’ says son of woman who fell into Jalan Masjid India sinkhole
Saturday, 24 Aug 2024 8:40 AM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — Rescuers looking for the Indian tourist who fell into a sinkhole that opened up at her feet in Jalan Masjid India here could only find a pair of slippers belonging to her near the location after almost 17 hours of searching yesterday.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said the slippers were found floating in the excavated area in the morning of the incident.
“We took a long time to look for the victim and the scuba team also entered the location... currently (the victim) has yet to be found.
“We searched 100 per cent of the area where the victim fell,” he said at the media conference at the incident location slightly after midnight.
Fire and Rescue Department Firefighting and Rescue Operations Division director Nordin Pauzi, Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Sulizme Affendy Sulaiman and Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) chief executive officer Narendran Maniam were also present at the media conference.
Rusdi said that the search and rescue operation (SAR) had to be suspended at 12.30 am and will resume at 9 am as heavy rain and the dark environment complicated rescue efforts.
The rescue team also faced various challenges, including strong currents, gas and sewerage that could endanger the scuba team, he added.
He stressed that the location around the area was safe but advised the public to reduce movement in the area.
“We will tighten controls at the location and the public is reminded to reduce movement and to be cautious,” he added.
Meanwhile Narendran said that IWK would assist the search by opening up every sewer manhole along a seven-kilometre stretch of the sewer line that ended at the treatment plant in Pantai Dalam here.
“We will go to the end and open up every manhole and we will check them all. We have started since noon today but have found nothing yet.
“If we did, the victim would have been stuck at the inter pump station but there is nothing so far,” he said, adding that it was possible for a human body to be carried away in the sewer line as it had a diameter of 1.5 metres and was over 3 metres in diameter at the end.
“It is really a big pipe as it carries all the sewerage around Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
The victim, known as Vijayaletchumy, 48, from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, India, was walking with her family through an area in front of the Malayan Mansion, Jalan Masjid India before she fell into a sinkhole that had opened up under her at about 8.20 am yesterday. — Bernama
***
‘This isn’t why I brought my mom to Malaysia,’ says son of woman who fell into Jalan Masjid India sinkhole
Surya struggled to hold back tears as he recounted the incident. Screengrab/Vanakam Malaysia
Saturday, 24 Aug 2024 9:05 AM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 – The eldest son of 48-year-old Vijayaletchumy from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, India who fell into a sinkhole on Jalan Masjid India this morning has urged the authorities to rescue his mother.
“Please save my mother. This is not why I brought her here to Malaysia," were the words of Surya, 26 after he arrived at the scene.
Visibly distraught, Surya struggled to hold back tears as he recounted the incident, comforted by family members and friends who accompanied him.
Surya, who had rushed to Malaysia from Thailand, reached the scene around 9.30pm to witness the ongoing rescue efforts.
Earlier, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Dr Maimunah Mohd Shariff visited the site and spoke with the victim’s husband, with the help of an interpreter.
She later informed the media that Kuala Lumpur City Hall would extend assistance to the family during the search and rescue operation.
Vijayaletchumy was on a two-month holiday in Malaysia with her family and was due to return home soon.
She had been walking in front of the Malayan Mansion on Jalan Masjid India when the ground beneath her suddenly collapsed, causing her to fall into the sinkhole at approximately 8.20am.
Saturday, 24 Aug 2024 9:05 AM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 – The eldest son of 48-year-old Vijayaletchumy from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, India who fell into a sinkhole on Jalan Masjid India this morning has urged the authorities to rescue his mother.
“Please save my mother. This is not why I brought her here to Malaysia," were the words of Surya, 26 after he arrived at the scene.
Visibly distraught, Surya struggled to hold back tears as he recounted the incident, comforted by family members and friends who accompanied him.
Surya, who had rushed to Malaysia from Thailand, reached the scene around 9.30pm to witness the ongoing rescue efforts.
Earlier, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Dr Maimunah Mohd Shariff visited the site and spoke with the victim’s husband, with the help of an interpreter.
She later informed the media that Kuala Lumpur City Hall would extend assistance to the family during the search and rescue operation.
Vijayaletchumy was on a two-month holiday in Malaysia with her family and was due to return home soon.
She had been walking in front of the Malayan Mansion on Jalan Masjid India when the ground beneath her suddenly collapsed, causing her to fall into the sinkhole at approximately 8.20am.
Sadly, she may have been swept into some underground stream that leads totally into the unknown.
ReplyDeleteIt's like the script from a horror movie.