Ground Penetrating Radar May Be Deployed To Locate Sinkhole Victim

KUALA LUMPUR Aug 27 (Bernama) —  A Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) device may be deployed today in the search and rescue operation for an Indian national woman who fell into the sinkhole at Jalan Masjid India.

The device, believed to have been brought in by the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, was spotted at the scene around 11.15 am, accompanied by a technical team from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) monitoring the operation. 

The GPR operates by emitting electromagnetic waves into the ground through a transmitter and detecting the reflected waves using a receiver sensor. It is the same equipment that was used in the Batang Kali landslide in December 2022.

In a related development, Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) is employing flushing techniques at the Pantai Dalam Treatment Plant, which is the endpoint of the sewer route, with the assistance of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM). 

Kuala Lumpur JBPM acting director, Rozihan Anwar Mamat, told Bernama that today's search efforts for the missing Indian tourist are concentrated at this endpoint.

Yesterday, Bernama reported that a high-powered sewer jetter machine is being used to break through rock debris in a manhole in front of Wisma Yakin, Jalan Masjid India, as part of the ongoing search. 

The victim, identified as Vijayaletchumy, 48, from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, who was in Malaysia with her family for a vacation, fell into an eight-metre-deep sinkhole at Jalan Masjid India at 8.22 am last Friday.

She was on her way to a nearby temple for breakfast when the incident occurred.

— BERNAMA