Malaysian rescuers race to save Indian woman swallowed by 8-metre sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur

Malaysian rescuers on Friday scrambled to save a 48-year-old Indian woman who was swallowed up by an 8-metre deep sinkhole that opened up under the pavement in Kuala Lumpur’s bustling Masjid India neighbourhood.

Straddled by the city’s two main rivers, Klang and Gombak, parts of the district experienced flash floods on Thursday afternoon after heavy rain caused the two rivers to overflow.

Operation commander Mohd Riduan Akhyar from the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department said Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team (STORM) and K-9 units had been deployed to rescue the victim.

“A 48-year-old Indian adult female victim fell into a hole and was buried underground,” Mohd Riduan said.

“Search and rescue operations are under way.”

The sinkhole opened on a busy pedestrian street between a shopping centre and the Masjid India mosque, near city hall and Malaysia’s Independence Square in central Kuala Lumpur.

Popular with shoppers, the area is especially busy on Fridays, when Muslims descend on the mosque and the open-air square in front of it for weekly Friday prayers.

More than 15 rescuers were mobilised on site after an early morning emergency call at 8.22am.

The victim, who is believed to be a tourist, was reportedly walking through the area with her family when the ground gave way.

Photos of the incident show rescuers using excavators and ladders to descend into the cavernous sinkhole, which is crossed by utility pipes and shows signs of underground water flow.

Rescue efforts continued into Friday afternoon.