Engineers carrying equipment entering the sinkhole site in Jalan Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur, tonight.
KUALA LUMPUR: Several personnel carrying machines believed to be robotic cameras were seen arriving at the 8m-deep sinkhole at Jalan Masjid India which swallowed up an Indian tourist last Friday.
A source at the scene told FMT that the personnel were dispatched from Guangzhou, China, to assist in the search and rescue effort.
The personnel were seen wearing white vests and carrying machines thought to be underground sewer exploration robots.
The vests bore the name of Absolute Water Solution Asia Sdn Bhd, a company which specialises in sewer pipe rehabilitation.
Bernama reported that a telescopic camera combining the technologies of the previous push rod and crawler cameras would be put into operation tonight.
The camera would provide clearer images, particularly at the second manhole in the search area clogged with debris and backlog, according to a Bernama source.
The search and rescue operation has entered its eighth day since a tourist from India, Vijayaletchumy, 48, was swallowed up by a sinkhole which opened up while she was walking down the street outside Malayan Mansion on Aug 23.
The authorities have heavily barricaded the site to prevent the media from taking photos of the sinkhole and have refused to divulge any information on the machines, with the media told to wait for an official announcement.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will not be hosting any press conferences on the search effort tonight.
Earlier today, FMT reported that a source said a self-propelled robot which is equipped with cameras was being flown in along with three engineers from China.
The source said the robot could be used to get into tight spaces currently inaccessible to divers.
The fire and rescue department has said it is too risky for divers to continue their search due to strong underground water currents, limited space for rescuers, and the presence of debris and hard blockages in the search area.
Two divers who descended into the sewer channel at the sinkhole area yesterday had to resurface after about half an hour when their progress was blocked by a wall of debris.
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