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K9 unit dogs indicate ‘obstruction’ in sinkhole chamber

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The fire and rescue department says cameras also showed something might be trapped in a small gap between the wall of the sewage chamber and a pipe.

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K9 unit dogs Frankie (left) and Denti are helping in the search and rescue efforts.

KUALA LUMPUR:
The fire and rescue department has detected an obstruction caused by an object lodged between the sinkhole and the second sewage chamber, located approximately 80m away.

Deputy director-general of operations Ahmad Izram Osman said the obstruction was detected by the K9 unit dogs, Denti and Frankie, who were deployed at the site on Tuesday afternoon along with camera surveillance.

“Our K9 team’s sniffing seems to strongly indicate toward that area, so we will make efforts to search there.

“The cameras also indicate an obstruction, which suggests the victim or some other object may be trapped there, so we want to search that area,” he said at the scene.

Izram said efforts to pump out sewage water are currently underway to facilitate the movement of divers from the department’s water rescue team.

He said the diving operation will commence at 2am, involving eight divers supported by 75 personnel overseeing machinery and logistics.

“We are conducting this operation at 2am because we expect the sewage water level to be below 1m then, compared to the usual level of 1.5m, currently at a speed of three knots, which is a strong water flow that poses a risk to the divers.

“We are going to inspect a small gap between the wall of the sewage chamber and sewage pipe, where an object may be lodged,” he said, adding that Denti and Frankie will be deployed alongside the camera and divers once the sewage water recedes.

Izram said the two English springer spaniels were being brought in to help locate the victim due to their excellent detection capabilities in water.

He said the search-and-rescue (SAR) team is also inspecting all the sewer chambers, and efforts to locate the victim would continue using multiple methods and available expertise.

Today marks the seventh day of the SAR operation, after Indian tourist Vijayaletchumy, 48, from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh fell into the 8m-deep sinkhole last Friday.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur City Hall said efforts to locate the victim using ground penetrating radar by the minerals and geoscience department were ongoing.

DBKL also said the road from the police post on Jalan Masjid India to Semua House is closed to facilitate the operation, and the public is advised to minimise movement in the area.

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