Video: Indian woman swallowed by 8-meter-wide pavement sinkhole in Malaysia
What's the story
A 48-year-old Indian woman was swallowed by an eight-meter deep sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur's bustling Masjid India neighborhood on Friday.
The incident occurred on a busy pedestrian street between a shopping center and the Masjid India mosque, near city hall and Malaysia's Independence Square.
The woman, believed to be a tourist, was reportedly walking with her family when the ground beneath her opened up, nearly swallowing another individual sitting on a nearby bench.
Weather conditions
Flash floods preceded sinkhole incident
The sinkhole incident was preceded by flash floods in parts of the district on Thursday afternoon.
These floods were caused by heavy rainfall that led to an overflow of the city's two main rivers, Klang and Gombak.
Operation commander Mohd Riduan Akhyar from the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department confirmed that a Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team (STORM) and K-9 units have been deployed for the rescue mission.
Twitter Post
Video of the incident
Rakaman CCTV mengenai tanah jerlus di Masjid India. Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) sedang giat dijalankan untuk memperluas lubang kawasan mendapan untuk operasi mencari dan menyelamat wanita yang dipercayai tertimbus selepas jatuh sedalam lapan meter. Kredit: kosmo_online pic.twitter.com/WogD3NJSUw
— OHBULAN! (@ohbulanofficial) August 23, 2024
Incident details
CCTV footage reveals terrifying incident
More than 15 rescuers were dispatched to the scene following an emergency call at 8:22am
Images from the scene display rescuers using excavators and ladders to descend into the massive sinkhole.
News agency Bernama reported that more rescuers had been deployed to help with the rescue operation, and that the search area had been expanded.
"We have conducted a manual search but failed to find the victim. We expect to continue with a more extensive excavation," an official told reporters.