KUALA LUMPUR: A technical team from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and the Malaysia Nuclear Agency has arrived at the scene as the search for Vijayaletchumy, who was swallowed by a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur, enters its fifth day.
Representatives from the Malaysia Nuclear Agency were seen wheeling a ground-penetrating radar device into the dig site. It is believed that the device will be used to help locate the victim.
Similar devices were also used to locate buried victims during the landslide that occurred in Batang Kali in December 2022.
It was learnt that Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) conducted flushing work in the early hours of Tuesday. Camera equipment was also deployed into the sewer following the flushing operations to inspect the system.
An overhaul was carried out at the IWK Pantai Dalam plant, with IWK personnel working alongside the Fire and Rescue Department. Yesterday, high-pressure jetting was performed to clear debris at one of the manholes near the sinkhole on Jalan Masjid India, in hopes of finding Vijayaletchumy, who went missing after the incident.
Dang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman said that IWK was conducting flushing operations at each manhole, while search efforts continued at the Pantai Dalam plant.
Search teams utilised pushrod and crawler-mounted cameras to inspect the sewerage system for the victim. The crawler discovered that solid debris was obstructing the pipes near the sinkhole site.
The high-pressure jets, capable of spraying water at a maximum pressure of 200 bar (2,900 psi), were used to clear the blockages.
Vijayaletchumy, 48, disappeared after being swallowed by a sinkhole on Friday morning. Video footage of the incident, released by the Fire and Rescue Department, shows the sinkhole suddenly forming and engulfing her.
The 31-second closed-circuit television (CCTV) clip captures the woman walking along the pedestrian path behind two others. As she approached a bench, the ground beneath her abruptly collapsed, and she vanished into the hole.
A man sitting on the bench was also nearly swallowed by the sinkhole but managed to pull himself to safety.