Malaysian authorities have stopped a nine-day effort to find and rescue a woman who fell into a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur, officials said Saturday. The operation will now shift into a search and recovery phase, local media reported, citing Zaliha Mustafa, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in the Federal Territories. Mustafa said several factors went into the decision, including concerns over the safety and health of the rescue personnel, Singaporean newspaper the Straits Times reported. Vijaya Lakshmi Gali, an Indian national, fell into the sinkhole on the morning of Aug. 23, according to the High Commission of India in Kuala Lumpur. Surveillance footage shows the woman walking on a pavement along a busy road when the sinkhole suddenly opened beneath her. She plunged into the eight-meter gap while people around her scrambled for safety. Malaysian authorities mounted an extensive, multi-agency rescue effort involving the Royal Malaysian Police, the…
