KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 — A 31-second clip from a closed circuit television on the street showed the exact moment a woman said to be a tourist from India disappeared into a sinkhole along Jalan Masjid India here today.
The soundless footage was shared with the press by the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department this afternoon, almost eight hours after it received an emergency call at 8.22am.
The video begins a few seconds before the sinkhole opens along the paved street and shows several other people in the area.
Two people are seen sitting on a walkway fronting a row of shops in the foreground, and a group of four men are seen on a metal bench on the paved street further in the back.
Four people are then seen coming into the CCTV frame from the bottom right corner: a woman dressed in a red-and-white saree with a bag slung over her left shoulder; to her right a woman in a baju kurung and tudung walking arm-in-arm with a man dressed in dark clothing and a hat; followed by another woman dressed in a green-and-white patterned saree with a large bag over her left shoulder.
As the last woman in the green-and-white saree approaches the bench where the four men are sitting, a hole opens in the group directly beneath her feet. It’s a straight vertical drop.
One of the men on the bench is also seen falling into the pit to his waist, but is able to somehow pull himself back up.
The other three men on the bench who appeared to have been chatting with each other seconds earlier quickly move away from the bench.
The earlier woman in the red-and-white saree is seen dashing back to the sinkhole and peering inside even as other people approach the pit.
The video ends there. The display at the top right corner of the computer screen shows the date and time as 2024-08-23 and 08:44.
Earlier news reports indicated the woman who fell into the pit is believed to be a tourist from India, aged roughly 48.
It is not known at the time of reporting if she was there walking there alone or with companions prior to her disappearance.
It could not be determined if the other woman in the red-and-white saree was her companion or otherwise as neither interacted with each other during the few seconds they were walking earlier, and there was a bit of distance between them.
Bernama had earlier reported Dang Wangi district police chief Assistant Commissioner Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman saying the woman has not been found.
He added that the search area has been expanded and an excavator will be brought to the scene for the ongoing rescue operation.
The Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team and K-9 unit had been reported on the scene as well earlier in the day.
Malay Mail is including the CCTV footage below. Viewer discretion is advised.
