Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — A woman plunged into an 8-metre-deep sinkhole in downtown Kuala Lumpur on Friday after the sidewalk she was standing on collapsed, burying her alive, Malaysian authorities said.
The incident took place in the Dang Wangi district of the Malaysian capital, where local police chief Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman said eyewitnesses said the woman was walking on the sidewalk when the earth suddenly collapsed beneath her.
Kuala Lumpur firefighters, who received a distress call early Friday, said the woman was believed to be an Indian national.
Malaysian Fire and Rescue Service / AP
But Sulizmie said he could not confirm the victim’s identity because the investigation is ongoing. Rescuers have barricaded part of the area and used an excavator to clear debris from the hole, but there was no sign of the victim yet.
“The search will continue until the victim is found,” he said.
He declined to comment when asked about the woman’s possible condition or the cause of the incident.
