Malaysia

A 48-year-old Indian woman was swallowed up by an eight-metre-deep sinkhole in Malaysia on Friday. Rescuers are working to save the woman who fell into the sinkhole that opened up under the pavement in the Masjid India neighbourhood of Kuala Lumpur. The district was hit by flash floods on Thursday following heavy rains that caused two main rivers, Klang and Gombak, to overflow.

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Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team (STORM) and K-9 units are working to rescue the woman. “A 48-year-old Indian adult female victim fell into a hole and was buried underground,” Operation Commander Mohd Riduan Akhyar from the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department said.

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An emergency call about the incident was received at around 8.22 am after which 15 rescuers were sent to the site. The victim was believed to be a tourist and was walking in the area with her family when the sinkhole opened up. Excavators and ladders could be seen at the accident site which were being used to enter the sinkhole.

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The incident was reported near Malaysia’s Independence Square in central Kuala Lumpur from a busy street between a shopping centre and the Masjid India mosque. The mosque and the open-air square attract a lot of crowds on Fridays because of the prayers.

What is a sinkhole?

Sinkholes are formed when the surface layer of the ground collapses. They are mostly caused by the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks.