Search for Tourist in Malaysia Sinkhole Continues

The search for a 48-year-old Indian tourist, who fell into an 8-meter-deep sinkhole in the centre of Kuala Lumpur, has continued for three days. The event occurred on Friday morning, and the sidewalk under her feet reportedly collapsed. However, to date, the only findings of the search are the woman’s slippers. The sinkhole appearing in the center of the city, in the Dang Wangi area, became the cause of the short-term search suspension due to the complex water currents and the potential risk of the appeared hole’s instability. The search was suspended on Saturday night and renewed on Sunday morning. The missing person’s family has arrived since the early morning to monitor the search, and the Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim expressed his condolences and noted that the missing person’s family has been on-site while all the efforts of the Malaysian Kuala Lumpur City Hall, carried out with the local Fire and Rescue Department for the search-and-rescue operation, were discussed in Sunday’s meeting.

The suddenly formed hole in the city’s heart led to numerous questions of the public and further investigations. The search-and-rescue operation was suspended due to the fear of the current underground waters and subsequent possible follow sink and additional risks for the search and safety of the search squad. Safety and security concerns underlined the importance of the fourth industrial revolution and the broad applications of cryogenic technologies. Since the reason for sinkhole form has not been identified yet, the detail analysis will be performed after the operation, and the results are to be reported afterwards. However, in the context of the required geographical safety inspection, local authorities plan to completely remap the site and identify the affected area. The Ministry of Water, Land, and Natural Resources’ Department of Minerals and Geosciences, as well as the Public Works Department, are to perform the inspection. The accident has become a hot international topic regarding safe public places, the importance of their regular inspections, and technology applications to avoid such disasters. The issue has resulted in loud calls for advanced safety measures in urban management and geological underground inspections. However, the accident will probably become a good lesson for the local authorities of the city centre and the whole country as well. The search is planned to continue; however, it is highly valuable to focus on the search squad’s safety and detailed underground inspections for the safety of all the city’s people. The accident was terrible, though, due to such natural subsurface conditions, constructing and managing the infrastructure of the aging city becomes more and more vulnerable and outdated.