Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has cancelled the 2024 Merdeka Eve celebrations, originally scheduled for August 30 at Dataran Merdeka. The cancellation, announced on DBKL's Facebook page, is in respect of recent incidents, including a tragic sinkhole event.

The sinkhole, which occurred last Friday on Jalan Masjid India, resulted in the death of 48-year-old Vijayaletchumy, who fell into the eight-meter-deep hole. As of today, the search and rescue operation is still ongoing, now entering its sixth day.

DBKL has urged the public to honor National Day by expressing their patriotism in their own ways. The statement also mentioned that the JBPM team is working within the sewage channel upstream from Wisma Yakin, and manual shoring and excavation efforts are underway. Additionally, the Mineral and Geosciences Department is continuing its search using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).