() – Malaysian authorities have halted a nine-day effort to find and rescue a woman who fell into a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur, officials said Saturday.
The operation will now move into a search and recovery phase, local media reported, citing Zaliha Mustafa, minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in the Federal Territories.
Mustafa said several factors influenced the decision, including concerns about the safety and health of rescue personnel, Singapore newspaper Straits Times reported.
Vijaya Lakshmi Gali, an Indian citizen, fell into the sinkhole on the morning of August 23, according to the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
Surveillance footage shows the woman walking on a sidewalk along a busy road when the sinkhole suddenly opened beneath her. The woman sank into the eight-meter hole while people around her ran for her safety.
Malaysian authorities mounted an extensive rescue effort involving the Malaysian Police, Fire and Rescue Department, and Civil Defense Force, among others.
They tried a variety of tools and techniques to locate it, including excavating, cleaning parts of the drainage system, sending divers to search the city sewer line, using high-pressure water jets to remove obstacles, and mapping areas. inaccessible with remote cameras and ground-penetrating radar, according to the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
Authorities found no trace of her other than a pair of sneakers, the Associated Press reported.
has contacted Malaysian authorities and the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur for more information.
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