KUALA LUMPUR: Efforts to locate the victim at the site of the sinkhole incident on Jalan Masjid India last night yielded no results, despite the detection of an anomalous object one meter underground using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).
In a statement, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) said that the search and rescue (SAR) team conducted a small-scale excavation, digging to a depth of 1 to 2 metres at a manhole located at the epicentre of the incident, referred to as ground zero.
"Excavation was initiated after GPR detected a potential anomalous object, located approximately 1 meter beneath the surface in the ground zero area. The SAR team manually excavated to a depth of 1.5 meters using a manual shoring system, but the search turned up empty," the statement read.
The manual excavation work was halted around 10.15pm last night.
DBKL previously announced that SAR operations would continue into the night, after focusing on GPR searches during the day.
Meanwhile, Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) implemented "jetting" and "rodding" techniques to clear blockages in the sewage pipes.
Today marks the ninth day of the search operation, with over 115 personnel and officers from various agencies including the police, Fire and Rescue Department, DBKL, Civil Defence Force, IWK, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, and the Department of Minerals and Geoscience continuing the effort.
The incident, which occurred on Aug 23, involved the disappearance of 48-year-old Indian national G. Vijaya Lakshmi, who fell into an eight-metre-deep hole caused by the sinkhole on Jalan Masjid India.