Search called off for woman who disappeared into 8m-deep sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur

The search and rescue operation for an Indian tourist who vanished into a sinkhole a week ago has been officially called off.

“After nine days of search and rescue and consideration from the cabinet as well as experts including the police, the search team, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, geologists and more, we've decided to halt the search efforts today,” Zaliha Mustafa, a minister in the prime minister’s department (federal territories) told reporters at the location of the sinkhole.

“There are various factors for halting the operation, which include the safety and health of the rescue personnel.

“The family of the victim has been informed, and we are in constant contact with them and the Indian High Commission,” she added.

Vijaya Lakshmi Gali, 48, fell into the 8m-deep sinkhole at 8.22am on 23 August while walking to a nearby temple in Kuala Lumpur’s Masjid India district. The search had been on for a week and the rescuers had found nothing.

Dr Mustafa said that the next steps to be taken were to be determined by the Malaysian police and that efforts to locate Ms Gali would continue under different agencies, reported Malay Mail.

“The Kuala Lumpur City Council will also map the utilities and conduct a soil structure study throughout Kuala Lumpur and proceed with the rebuilding and recovery of Jalan Masjid India,” she added.

The operation was concentrated around two manholes in the Jalan Masjid India neighbourhood and was extremely challenging due to heavy rains and debris in the sinkhole.

The search team had been using high-pressure jets of water to cut through debris to find the victim.

While the Kuala Lumpur City Hall had placed over 100 sandbags around the exposed sewer lines to protect them from the disruptive flow of rainwater, the existing issues were dangerous enough already for the divers.

“In that hole, there is a sewage drain and other drains; it’s really deep,” fire operation officer Alimaddia Bukri was quoted as saying by The Straits Times. He added that the rescuers had been diving deep into the sewer amid strong currents and zero visibility.

“It is pitch black in that pipe,” a diver told The Straits Times.

“You don’t want to know what’s in there. It’s full of human waste and other garbage. We decontaminate immediately after each dive.”

Ms Gali and her family were due to return to India last week, but their visas have been extended by the Malaysian government and they were also provided with counselling. The family members “do not expect anything and would only want to ‘see her face’”.

Kuala Lumpur’s mayor reassured the public of the city’s safety, stating that daily routines should continue unless evidence suggests otherwise. A task force has been established to assess the safety of structures around the sinkhole area.

“In my view, Kuala Lumpur remains safe,” the mayor said last week. Maimunah Mohd Sharif was speaking in defence of the city’s safety after a 2015 social media post went viral calling it “the most unsafe place” in Malaysia with a possibility of a “giant sinkhole” opening at any time.

“We will only consider it unsafe if there are studies that provide evidence to the contrary, especially given the alarming media reports.”