Jalan Masjid India traders worry about repeated occurrence of sinkholes

Perfume trader Hanif Nazrin, 27, claimed a similar incident had happened several times before, with the latest incident being in June, that led to authorities closing the road for a month before it reopened several weeks ago.

"The sinkhole also caused a burst pipe that affected business in the nearby area, so we're worried something similar happens repeatedly and want the authorities to take immediate action to solve it," he said.

Nazrin said he only learnt about the sinkhole when he came to his shop as it had yet to open when the sinkhole appeared and swallowed an Indian woman at 8.30 am.

He did comply with the authorities when they instructed him and several other traders nearby to shutter operations temporarily to allow search and rescue efforts to be conducted.

Clothes trader Mohammed Mahathir, 45, agreed with Hanif that the authorities should monitor the situation as the area was popular with both local and foreign tourists.

"The authorities do come to monitor when there's a report or a burst pipe, but there's no follow up with other inspections even though it involves safety issues," the trader who has been staying along Jalan Masjid India for five years said.

An employee at a moneychanger, Mohd Fairuz Siddiq Firdaus, 24, said that flash floods often occurred due to Sungai Klang breaking its banks and he worried that sinkholes would get worse due to the heavy downpours recently.

"We worry, if there aren't any detailed inspections after this by relevant authorities, that something more serious will happen," he said.

Checks by Bernama at the location of the sinkhole revealed that the search and rescue operation was underway, with two excavators digging even in the heavy downpour.

-- BERNAMA