No injuries reported after sinkhole develops at traffic junction in Malacca
A sinkhole has developed outside a police station in Malacca, the latest one to emerge in our neighbouring country.
According to a Facebook post by local politician Kerk Chee Yee, this happened sometime between 3am and 4am on Saturday (16 Nov) morning in Ayer Keroh, which is a town in Malacca state.
A photo he shared showed that the road had caved in at a traffic junction across from Ayer Keroh Police Station.
Source: Kerk Chee Yee 郭子毅 on Facebook
Water seen flowing inside Malacca sinkhole
In other photos posted on social media, water can be seen flowing through a drain inside the sinkhole.
They also showed that the authorities had cordoned off part of the road around the sinkhole to prevent accidents.
Source: Sin Chew Daily Melaka on Facebook
Workers were also seen measuring the sinkhole.
Source: Sin Chew Daily Melaka on Facebook
Sin Chew Daily reported that the sinkhole was about 2m wide and 2m deep.
Malacca sinkhole caused by soil erosion due to water leakage
Mr Kerk, who is a member of the Melaka State Legislative Assembly for Ayer Keroh, said the sinkhole was caused by drain water entering the gap between the culverts, resulting in serious soil erosion.
Source: Jabatan Kerja Raya Melaka on Facebook
According to Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR), the Malacca Public Works Department, the culvert was installed around two years ago during drainage upgrading works.
The JKR team patched up the gaps in the culverts on Saturday to stop further water leakage, he added.
Source: Jabatan Kerja Raya Melaka on Facebook
Repair works will be carried out over the next few days.
JKR said in a Facebook post of its own that monitoring and maintenance works are being carried out by the relevant agencies to ensure the safety of road users.
No injuries or deaths reported
“This incident could have happened anywhere,” Mr Kerk said, adding that it fortunately didn’t result in any injuries or deaths.
He called for a thorough investigation into the incident, including whether there were any violations in standard operating procedures during the installation of the drain culvert.
This is to prevent a similar incident from happening again, he added.
Also read: School bus gets stuck in 1-metre wide sinkhole in Penang
School bus tyre falls into 1m-wide sinkhole in Penang, over 20 students safely evacuated
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