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Large hole opens along Kuala Lumpur road after drain collapses

A collapsed drain in a Kuala Lumpur suburb has left a large hole along Jalan Pantai Permai.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Aug 27), Kuala Lumpur City Hall said the area in the suburb of Kampung Kerinchi was cordoned off at about 10pm on Monday.
“Following the collapse, initial work has been conducted to close off the area using water barriers and cones,” it added.
No injuries or casualties were reported, with pictures showing that the hole had affected part of the footpath and the road.
The incident comes after an Indian tourist fell into an 8m-deep sinkhole in another part of the Malaysian capital last Friday.
The search for the missing 48-year-old woman entered its fifth day on Tuesday, with authorities using high-pressure water jets at two manholes around Jalan Masjid India.
Malaysian media reported that a ground-penetrating radar had been brought in by the country’s nuclear agency to aid in the search.
Rescuers are also continuing to search Pantai Dalam treatment plant, where the sewer ends, Kuala Lumpur City Hall added. 
The tourist, identified as Ms Vijayaletchumy, had disappeared after falling into the sinkhole in front of Malayan Mansion while walking to a nearby temple.
She was reportedly on a two-month holiday in Malaysia with her family and was due to return home soon.
Since the incident, claims from 2015 have resurfaced on social media that there was potential for a “giant sinkhole” to emerge in the Malaysian capital at any time. 
But on Sunday, Kuala Lumpur mayor Maimunah Mohd Sharif said the city “remains safe unless proven otherwise by studies”.
The city has been developed for a long time and claims that it was unsafe for development must be backed up by strong evidence, she said, as reported by news agency Bernama.
In response, a task force that includes the Department of Minerals and Geosciences, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, the Royal Malaysia Police and the Public Works Department has been set up to study the safety of development in the capital, she said.
“Based on the current situation, Kuala Lumpur remains safe unless proven otherwise by studies,” Ms Maimunah said.

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