Woman Still Not Found After Being Swallowed by Sinkhole in Masjid India

By Subaashinee Kupusamy,

KUALA LUMPUR, 24 August: The search for a woman who was swallowed by a sinkhole on Jalan Masjid India earlier today is now focused on a 1.5-meter-wide sewage pipe beneath the street. According to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), this pipe is part of the underground infrastructure at the site.

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif reported that, together with other agencies, DBKL has been searching along the length of the sewage pipe since this afternoon, but the victim remains missing.

Maimunah also confirmed that no excavation activities were occurring near the sinkhole when the incident took place. In response to the emergency, Air Selangor, the local water concessionaire, has shut off the water supply in the area. Personnel from Indah Water Konsortium and the Fire and Rescue Department are assisting DBKL in the search and rescue (SAR) operation.

The mayor expressed her condolences to the victim’s husband, whom she met at the scene, stating her sorrow over the tragic incident. She visited the site earlier tonight to receive a briefing from the authorities, including the police and Fire and Rescue Department.

The sinkhole, which opened up this morning, caused an Indian national in her 40s to fall into the pit. City police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa mentioned that strong water currents were detected beneath the street, which likely swept the victim away. He also noted that a similar sinkhole had appeared at the same location last year, though no injuries were reported at that time as stated in NST.