KL City Hall cancels National Day event following sinkhole incident

MALAYSIA: The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has announced the cancellation of its Merdeka Eve 2024 celebration, originally scheduled for the night of 30 August at Dataran Merdeka.

The decision follows a series of tragic incidents in and around Kuala Lumpur.

In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, DBKL explained that the ‘Sambutan Ambang Merdeka 2024’ event was called off out of respect for the victims of these incidents.

While specific details were not provided, it is believed that the cancellation is linked to the ongoing situation surrounding a sinkhole that appeared at Jalan Masjid India on 23 August.

Efforts continue in the search and rescue (SAR) operation for a victim of the sinkhole, identified as 48-year-old Indian national Vijayaletchumy.

As a result of the incident, Jalan Masjid India has been closed to traffic, and on 28 August, another road collapse was discovered just 50 meters from the initial site.

DBKL urged Malaysians to come together and celebrate the true meaning of independence with a deep sense of patriotism, despite the cancellation of the planned event.

On 28 August, Indian community group Malaysia Hindu Sangam and Hindu Darma Mamandram, conducted religious rites to aid the search efforts.

They performed ceremonial songs and released yellow chrysanthemums into a river as part of a traditional Hindu offering for the victim.

Although the NGOs have no direct connection to the victim, they are known for carrying out similar ceremonies during disasters, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of the early hours of 29 August, the search has entered its seventh day.

Two firefighters from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department’s Diving Team (PPDA) descended into the sinkhole after authorities detected an object believed to be obstructing the search.

The detection was made using K9 units that identified the location of the object, approximately 80 meters from the site.

However, strong currents in the sewage tunnel forced the divers to abort their mission after less than 30 minutes.

The search and rescue operation remains ongoing.