Police have revealed a disturbing new theory over what happened to the tourist who vanished after being swallowed up by a 26ft sinkhole.
Vijaya Lakshmi Gali, 48, disappeared into a sinkhole in Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur last week on August 23 after a pavement collapsed.
The Indian woman is still missing as the search enters its seventh day, with rescue teams flushing manholes around the area and using high-powered jets to remove debris blocking access to the sewers, Firstpost reports.
Meanwhile, a second sinkhole has opened up roughly 50 metres away from the first, which has raised fears about the safety of the area.
But, Malaysian police have told how they believe the woman was likely swept away by an underground water current.
Chilling footage shows Vijaya Lakshmi walking along the pavement as normal
Suddenly, the ground then opens up causing her to fall in as others narrowly avoid a similar fate
She has now been missing for five days after being swallowed by the sinkhole
A look at a sinkhole that opened in the same area where an Indian woman fell into an eight-meter deep sinkhole
A man crosses a closed roadside after another deep sinkhole appeared a week after a woman fell into a sinkhole when a sidewalk caved in in Kuala Lumpur. Thursday, August 29
Police stand guard on a closed roadside after the latest sinkhole opened in the area
Rescue teams say there are no other signs of the woman who fell through the gap
Datuk G Parameswaran, the president of the Malaysian Water and Wastewater Quality Safety Association, told the Straits Times: ‘Sewage water is also very harsh, and the current has a minimum flow speed of one metre per second.
‘Theoretically, she could have travelled up to 86.4km within 24 hours.’
Chilling footage shows the moment the 48-year-old walks long the pavement before she suddenly disappears.
An initial search from Malaysian rescue teams found Ms Lakshmi’s shoes, but there are no other signs of her, the Telegraph report.
The CCTV video shows how others sitting on a nearby bench only narrowly avoided falling in with the woman.
Malaysia Fire and Rescue Department officers inspect the site where a woman fell into an eight-meter deep sinkhole
A search and rescue operation is still underway in the Malaysian capital
An initial search from Malaysian rescue teams found Ms Lakshmi’s shoes
Rescue efforts continue into the night as fire rescue teams inspect the sinkhole
Crowds gather as the wait goes on to find the missing woman in Malaysia
The shopping area is known for its goldsmiths and jewellers and attracts lots of tourists
Ms Lakshmi and her family are said to have been in Malaysia for roughly two months. They were due to fly home in Sunday.
Authorities have since provided a counsellor for relatives of the woman, including her husband and son.
The shopping area, known for its goldsmiths and jewellers, is approximately a 10-minute drive away from the city’s Petronas Towers.
