Kuala Lumpur: The Indian High Commission in Malaysia said an Indian woman, identified as Vijaya Lakshmi Gali, fell into a sinkhole on August 23 (Friday), and a round-the-clock search for her continued on its fifth day. Vijay Lakshmi, 48, arrived in Malaysia as a tourist and disappeared after falling into an 8 m-deep sinkhole when a section of the pavement caved in, while she was on her way to a temple.
According to The Star, the search for the woman posed high risks for the Fire and Rescue Department's scuba unit as rescuers faced challenges such as strong currents and tight spaces while investigating manholes for the victim. As of Saturday, the search had yielded no results.
"The search continues to locate Indian citizen (Ms Vijaya Lakshmi Gali) who fell into a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur on Friday 23 Aug. The SAR teams are methodically deducing newer probable paths and likely locations of the missing Indian national," said the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur in a statement.
India in touch with relevant authorities, victim's kin
The Commission said local authorities, apart from police, Fire and Rescue Department, Indah Water Consortium and KL Federal Territories agencies, are now supported by Civil Defence Forces and specialised scientific teams with sophisticated equipment involved in the search. The search for Vijay Lakshmi has been augmented with specialised techniques including high pressure water jets, remote cameras and ground penetrating radars.
"High Commission is in close contact with the relevant agencies engaged in the search efforts as the search has entered its fifth day. High Commission officers are also in touch with the family members to extend continued support," it added. At least 10 business outlets in the area were affected by the incident and forced to draw the shutters due to the closure at the stretch.
The Commission was also in today with Vijay Lakshmi's family and updating them about the search and rescue operations. Her husband and son reportedly managed to escape the collapse on Friday. The High Commission also extended their tourist visas to enable their stay in Malaysia while the search was underway.
Malaysia Deputy PM visits site
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof arrived at the sinkhole site on Wednesday and reportedly received a briefing on the SAR operation for the Indian tourist who fell into the sinkhole. Relevant authorities have been instructed to conduct an integrity audit on the sewage pipeline once the operation is concluded.
"Our priority now is the SAR operation. After the operation is concluded, we will call up all agencies involved in utilities including DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) to look at everything underground and conduct a post-mortem. We will also look at how to ensure similar incidents do not reoccur," he said.
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