KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — Humans are hardwired to be curious, to the extent they sometimes willingly put themselves in potential harm just to satiate their curiosity.
At Jalan Masjid India, where Indian national G. Vijaya Lakshmi fell into a sinkhole, curious onlookers are aplenty at the now excavated site that was plastered over the news in recent days.
A check by Malay Mail at the site on the tenth day of Vijaya’s disappearance saw onlookers, at times in groups or even the occasional tourists, admiring and taking their mobile devices to take photos or videos of the area.
In fact, some were also seen undeterred by the lines of police tapes and erected plastic road barriers.
Based on observation, the sinkhole site was devoid of any rescue personnel and machinery following an announcement yesterday calling off the search and rescue (SAR) operation.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa was quoted as saying the decision was reached after a detailed evaluation of expert and technical advice on the SAR operation which entered its ninth day and had yielded no results.
A handful of police officers remain on duty at the nearby police tent, with the occasional warning to passers-by who stray too close to the enclosed perimeter.
Several Indah Water Konsortium and Kuala Lumpur City Hall personnel were also seen near the site as repair and reconstruction work on the sinkhole is set to begin at an unspecified time following Dr Zaliha’s announcement.
About 50 metres away where another sinkhole appeared days after the first, an excavator sits idly surrounded by erected plastic road barriers.
Despite the obstructed view, curious onlookers were also observed taking photos of the second sinkhole due to its proximity to the other sinkhole.
With the SAR operation now called off, most businesses along Jalan Masjid India were seen operating today after some of them were closed for safety purposes just days into the incident.
However, weekend foot traffic along the once bustling stretch was low as compared to days prior to the sinkhole incident, with pedestrians having to take a longer detour since certain sections of the road remained closed by police tape.
