KUALA LUMPUR: Members of the Fire and Rescue Department who participated in the nine-day search and rescue operation had to dive into a narrow space in a sewer filled with toxic gases that could pose a risk to their lives.
These were among the experiences faced by nearly all of the 29 fire divers who took part in the search and rescue mission here from Aug 23 to 31 to find an Indian national who had fallen into a sinkhole in Masjid India.
Senior Fire Officer 1 Mohd Nazri Abidin, who oversaw the operation, said all 29 divers involved in the search and rescue (SAR) operation were engaged in life-threatening tasks.
Utusan Malaysia reported that the operation tested each firefighter's mental and physical endurance, who had to plan and strategise for the rescue operation over nine days.
"Among the strategies was that each diver had to dive for about 30 minutes before being replaced by another diver.
The maximum number of dives in a single operation involved four divers
"The challenge of the SAR operation was that the divers had to enter a narrow manhole of about 1.5 metres in diameter, which became even smaller as it was filled with stones and hardened debris.
"This meant that each dive could only be conducted by one diver at a time, and the divers had to operate lying down in the manhole, with no space to turn their bodies," he said as quoted by Utusan Malaysia yesterday.
Mohd Nazri, an instructor at the northern region Fire and Rescue Department Academy, said his role as supervisor was to ensure that divers were always protected with full gear, including dry suits from head to toe.
"This is to ensure that they are not exposed to toxic gases in the sewer and that water does not come into contact with the divers.
"The divers are also supplied with oxygen from above, so they do not need to carry oxygen tanks while diving."
He said although they were disappointed that the SAR operation to find the woman was called off, the decision had to be made for safety reasons.
"Throughout the operation, we always put ourselves in the position of a family member; we intended to find the victim.
"However, as rescue personnel, we must prioritise saving our own lives first. If we encountered obstacles and had to break through debris with extremely high water pressure of up to 100 metric tonnes, we risk another incident such as a water column."
Mohd Nazri added that this would pose a significant risk to the divers and firefighters at the scene.
"It cannot be denied that the SAR at Masjid India was one of the most challenging we have faced."
On Aug 23, G. Vijaya Lakshmi, 48, a tourist from India, went missing after falling into an 8m-deep sinkhole in Jalan Masjid India while heading to a temple.
A nine-day search for her involving more than 115 personnel yielded no results.