Divers have stopped searching for a missing woman who disappeared down a 26ft sinkhole more than a week ago after deeming it ‘too risky’ to keep sending help.
The tragedy has shaken Malaysia, with more than 100 rescuers called in to save the 48-year-old who vanished, leaving only her slippers, when a pavement collapsed.
Vijaya Lakshmi Gali fell into the hole in Kuala Lumpur on August 23 and is believed to have been swept away by a violent underground current of water, through sewage.
Two divers struggled against the currents running through the sewer network when they entered around 4am local time on Friday, the Fire and Rescue Dept said.
‘It was found to be impossible, extremely difficult, to break the solidified [debris] which are like concrete blocks,’ director-general Nor Hisham Mohammad told reporters.
Footage shows Vijaya Lakshmi walking along the pavement as normal before the collapse
Suddenly, the ground then opens up causing her to fall in as others narrowly avoid a similar fate
Malaysia Fire and Rescue Department officers inspect the site where a woman fell into an eight-meter deep sinkhole
Rescue operations started immediately (pictured: August 23) but have made no progress
Rescuers tried to break the hardened debris underground apart using high-pressure water jets, iron hooks and ropes – to no avail.
‘Even [when we tried] pulling at them with ropes using up to eight people, [it] was unsuccessful,’ Mr Mohammad said on Friday, before the search was called off.
‘There are various factors for halting the operation, which include the safety and health of the rescue personnel,’ said Dr Zaliha Mustafa, a minister in the prime minister’s department.
Ms Lakshmi, a tourist visiting from Andhra Pradesh, is understood to have been heading towards a nearby temple with family when the ground suddenly collapsed under her.
Ms Lakshmi and her family are said to have been in Malaysia for roughly two months. They were due to fly home in Sunday.
Chilling footage shows the moment the 48-year-old walks long the pavement before she suddenly disappears.
CCTV video shows how others sitting on a nearby bench only narrowly avoided falling in with the woman.
An initial search from Malaysian rescue teams found Ms Lakshmi’s shoes, but there are no other signs of her, the Telegraph reported.
Excavators were later pictured on the scene, while rescuers brought in sniffer dogs and robotic cameras to scout out the underground network.
Authorities have since provided a counsellor for relatives of the woman, including her husband and son.
The shopping area, known for its goldsmiths and jewellers, is approximately a 10-minute drive away from the city’s Petronas Towers.
Just a day later, another sinkhole appeared 50 metres away.
A geologist told local outlet Malaysiakini it was likely linked to the search efforts.
Authorities have said a similar soil slip was reported in the same location last year.
Crowds gather as the wait goes on to find the missing woman in Malaysia
Rescue efforts continue into the night as fire rescue teams inspect the sinkhole
Excavators were later pictured on the scene, while rescuers brought in sniffer dogs and robotic cameras to scout out the underground network
An initial search from Malaysian rescue teams found Ms Lakshmi’s shoes, but there are no other signs of her
Ms Lakshmi, a tourist visiting from Andhra Pradesh, is understood to have been heading towards a nearby temple with family when the ground suddenly collapsed under her
Just a day later, another sinkhole appeared 50 metres away. A geologist told local outlet Malaysiakini it was likely linked to the search efforts. (Pictured: new hole on August 28)
The mayor of Kuala Lumpur, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, has assured that the city is safe – and formed a taskforce to inspect sewer pipes in the area.
Experts have warned Ms Lakshmi could have been swept away by harsh currents if she did fall into sewage water.
Datuk G Parameswaran, the president of the Malaysian Water and Wastewater Quality Safety Association, told the Straits Times: ‘Sewage water is also very harsh, and the current has a minimum flow speed of one metre per second.
‘Theoretically, she could have travelled up to 86.4km within 24 hours.’