Tourist Ground Collapse Incident in Kuala Lumpur: Engineer Warns Heavy Rain Could Cause Further Sink

The search for the tourist who fell into a ground collapse in Kuala Lumpur has entered its fourth day with no results so far. A Malaysian engineer has warned that heavy rain could lead to further sinkholes in the affected area, making it necessary to quickly fill the deep hole and continue rescue efforts in the sewage shaft.

Lin Jianwen, a wastewater system design engineer in Malaysia, told Sin Chew Net that typically, when digging a deep hole, steel plates are installed to prevent soil from collapsing inward. However, he revealed that constructing such steel plates might take up to a month, and given the life-threatening emergency situation, no steel plates have been installed.

"Steel plates are needed to hold back the soil, but in the current situation without steel plates, there's nothing to hold back the surrounding soil. If it rains heavily, the adjacent area could also collapse, as the soil would shift rapidly, which we can't predict."

He also noted that the incident occurred near the Klang River, and water could be pushed toward the site. If water rushes in, the riverbank could collapse.

"The depth of the hole is greater than the height of the riverbank, so the bank cannot withstand the hole. Therefore, it's crucial to fill the hole as soon as possible, rather than waiting too long, as heavy rain could cause significant problems."

Lin Jianwen believes that since the location of the tourist is unknown, continuing to dig holes at the incident site may not be effective. Instead, rescue workers should enter the sewage shaft to continue their efforts.

"Rescue personnel may encounter obstructions in the sewage shaft that prevent them from advancing, but they can use these obstacles to estimate the tourist's location. They can calculate the straight-line distance between shafts and consider whether the victim might be located at a midpoint, then devise a plan to penetrate that area and move forward step by step."

However, Lin Jianwen also mentioned that conducting rescue operations in the sewage shaft may be more difficult than in the ground collapse area or in a building collapse scenario, due to the presence of toxic gases and bacteria in the shaft, which make conditions extremely hazardous and limit the time rescuers can spend inside.

He also clarified that the sewage shaft is different from a pipeline.

"Pipelines can be shut off, allowing for comprehensive inspection when there's no water flow. However, shutting down the sewage shaft would require stopping all connected buildings from operating."

When asked about the possibility of the tourist being able to save herself, Lin Jianwen said that unless she managed to grab onto something that wouldn't be swept away by the water and swim back, it's unlikely.

He added that the tourist fell into the sewage shaft, and due to the strong water currents, the likelihood of drowning is higher than the risk of being poisoned by hazardous gases. 

The incident occurred around 8:22 AM on the 23rd near the Indian Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. The 48-year-old tourist suddenly "vanished," falling into an eight-meter-deep hole. A man sitting on a nearby bench narrowly avoided falling in as well.