KL sinkhole: Obstruction detected, SAR to resume 2am Thursday (Aug 29) once water level recedes

KUALA LUMPUR: The Fire and Rescue Department has detected an obstruction caused by an object lodged between the sinkhole and the second sewage chamber, located approximately 80 metres away.

Deputy director-general of Operations Datuk Ahmad Izram Osman said the obstruction was detected by the K9 unit dogs, Denti and Frankie, which were deployed at the site on Tuesday (Aug 27) afternoon, along with camera surveillance.

“From the sniffing conducted by our K9 team, it seems there is a strong indication toward that area, so we will make efforts to search there.

“The cameras also indicate there is an obstruction, which suggests the victim may be trapped there or there’s some other object, so we want to search that area,” he told Bernama at the scene.

He added that efforts to pump out sewage water are currently underway to facilitate the movement of divers from the department’s Water Rescue Team.

Ahmad Izram stated that the diving operation will commence at 2am on Friday (Aug 29), involving eight divers supported by 75 personnel overseeing machinery and logistics.

“We are conducting this operation at 2am because we expect the sewage water level to be below one metre then, compared to the usual level of 1.5 metres at a speed of three knots currently. This speed indicates strong water flow, which poses a risk to the divers.

“We are going to inspect the sewage chamber because there is a small gap between the wall of the chamber and the sewage pipe, where an object may be lodged,” he said, adding that Denti and Frankie will be deployed alongside the camera and divers once the sewage water recedes.

He noted that the two English Springer Spaniel dogs are being brought in to assist in locating the victim due to their excellent detection capabilities in the water.

He emphasised that the SAR team is also inspecting all the sewer chambers, and efforts to locate the victim will continue using multiple methods and available expertise.

The sinkhole, which occurred last Friday resulted in the Indian national tourist Vijayaletchumy, 48, from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh falling into an eight-metre-deep hole. Wednesday marks the sixth day of the SAR operation.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur City Hall announced in a statement this evening that the department has entered the sewage channel upstream from the chamber at Wisma Yakin.

Additionally, manual shoring providing a temporary support system and excavation work have also been carried out.

According to City Hall, efforts to locate the victim using the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) device by the Minerals and Geoscience Department are ongoing as well.

The statement also informed that the route from the police post on Jalan Masjid India to Semua House is closed to facilitate the SAR operation, and the public is advised to minimise movement in the area.

As of 10.30pm on Wednesday, Bernama noted that the sinkhole site was occupied by several trucks loaded with equipment believed to be utilised for pumping sewage water to facilitate the search operation. – Bernama