KUALA LUMPUR – The family of Ms Vijayalakshmi, who fell into an 8m-deep sinkhole in Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 23, conducted a final religious ceremony at the site before returning to India.

According to a report by Astro Awani, her husband, son and sister visited the sinkhole site on Sept 1 to perform the Hindu rituals. They lit oil lamps and rang bells as part of the ceremony. They were seen taking a clump of soil, which they placed in a plastic bag, presumably to take back to India.

The family reportedly departed for India at 5pm on Sept 1.

The 48-year-old victim, originally from Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh, India, went missing after falling into the sinkhole. Despite various efforts, including the use of sniffer dogs and scuba units, the search and rescue team was unable to locate her.

On Aug 31, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Zaliha Mustafa announced that the government decided to terminate the search and rescue operation after nine days of extensive efforts.

She said the decision was made after considering safety issues involving the search and rescue team, the public and the surrounding area. She also said a proposal to compensate the victim’s family would be discussed at a Cabinet meeting on Sept 4.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Aug 30 assured tourists that it is safe to visit Kuala Lumpur, saying a geotechnical study established the cause of the incident, and found the city safe. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK