Malaysia ends search ops to find Indian tourist who fell into sinkhole

The search for a 48-year-old Indian woman who fell into a sinkhole in Malaysia nine days ago was abruptly halted on Saturday after local authorities deemed the search conditions to be “extremely challenging”.

The search operation, which was in its ninth day, was canceled based on an evaluation of the site and technical advice from experts, said Dr Zaliha Mustafa, a minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) of Malaysia.

“After nine days of search and rescue (SAR) and consideration from the Cabinet as well as experts including the police, the search team, geologists and more, we've decided to halt the search efforts today," Mustafa told reporters at the sinkhole’s location. “At this point, we also have to consider the safety of the SAR personnel involved as conditions for the SAR were extremely challenging.”