KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 — The situation was tense and full of anticipation in the search and rescue operation this morning when two firemen went down the sewage channel at the site of the sinkhole incident along Jalan Masjid India to dive into the sewage tunnel to find the missing Indian tourist.
Based on observations at the location, two firemen from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Diving Team, fully equipped with scuba gear were seen descending into the hole at 3.06am, closely watched by members of the SAR team members.
The diving process was carried out after JBPM detected an obstacle in the form of an object stuck between the location of the clear soil and the second sewer, located approximately 80 metres away yesterday.
However, less than half an hour later, the two firemen were then seen being pulled up using a rope and they climbed back out of the hole with the help of other team members before being decontaminated and cleaned.
Bernama was made to understand that the reason both divers were lifted up was as they were unable to get close to the location where the object is believed to have stuck, due to strong undercurrents in the sewage tunnel.
Until 4.30am, there has been no official statement from JBPM to the media who have been waiting since midnight to report the outcome of the SAR's latest efforts.
Yesterday, JBPM Deputy Director General (Operations) Datuk Ahmad Izram Osman said his team detected an obstacle in the form of an object stuck between the location of the clear land and the second sewage tunnel, located approximately 80 metres away from the site.
He said the findings were obtained through detection by two Detection Unit dogs, Denti and Frankie, who were brought down to the scene of the incident on Tuesday (August 27), in addition to camera detection.
Following the detected object, water and sewage were pumped out late last night while eight divers were assisted by 75 members who were manning the machinery and logistics.
During the sinkhole incident on Friday (August 23), a woman, identified as Vijayaletchumy, 48, from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, fell into an eight-metre deep hole and disappeared while the SAR operation continues for the seventh day today.
— Bernama
