Mayor says KL safe as search extends into 4th day for female tourist, 48, who fell into sinkhole

Amid continued search-and-rescue operations for the sinkhole victim who disappeared on Aug. 23, the mayor of Kuala Lumpur has spoken up in defence of the city's safety.

"In my view, Kuala Lumpur remains safe. We will only consider it unsafe if there are studies that provide evidence to the contrary, especially given the alarming media reports," she said in an Aug. 26 press conference, the New Straits Times reported.

She was responding to a social media post that claimed that KL was the "most unsafe place to live in Malaysia", with the possibility of a "giant sinkhole disaster" occurring at any time.

It was published in 2015 and went viral following the recent incident.

Fourth day of search operations

In the meantime, search operations for 48-year-old Indian tourist Vijayaletchumy continue.

It has now been four days since she disappeared into the 8m-deep sinkhole while on her way to a temple.

In an Aug. 26 statement, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall said they have been using water jets to break up debris in a nearby manhole — a method known as "flushing".

Rescue personnel were also seen climbing down a manhole some 50m from the sinkhole earlier in the morning, with some carrying ropes and other equipment.

Separately, the City Hall has formed a task force to check the safety of the soil structure at Jalan Masjid India and its surrounding areas.

It will proceed "as quickly as possible", the mayor said.

Tourist supposed to leave day after

Vijayaletchumy had been on a two-month holiday to Malaysia when she was caught in the sinkhole on Aug. 23.

She was scheduled to leave the country a day later on Aug. 25.

On Aug. 25, Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim instructed City Hall to express its condolences to her family.

"We express our sympathies," he added, referring to the victim as a "young mother".

Only her slippers have been found so far.

Related stories

Top image from Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur/Facebook