Woman disappears into giant sinkhole and rescuers can’t find any sign of her

A woman has plunged into a 26ft sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur city center after the pavement she was on caved in, Malaysian authorities said.

The incident happened in the Dang Wangi area of the Malaysian capital, where local police chief Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman said witnesses reported the woman was walking along the pavement when the surface suddenly collapsed beneath her.

Emergency services are searching for a woman who fell into a sinkhole. (Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department)

The Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department, which received a distress call on Friday morning (August 23), said the woman is believed to be an Indian national.

While she has not been named, the missing individual is reported to be 48 years old, states BBC News.

Rescuers cordoned off part of the area and used an excavator to clear the debris in the hole, but the woman has still not been found.

Police chief Sulaiman has since given a brief statement on the ongoing situation and insisted that 'the search will continue until the victim is found'.

Elsewhere, operation commander Mohd Riduan Akhbar has confirmed to local media that Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team of Malaysia (STORM) and a K9 team are at the scene to help with the search.

CCTV footage captured the moment the woman fell into the ground. (Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department)

Sinkholes are formed when the land surface above collapses or sinks into the cavities or when surface material is carried downward into the voids, explains St. John's River Water Mangement District.

It's said that sinkholes aren't unheard of in Kuala Lumpur and that they're a 'common engineering geologic problem' in the city - which recently suffered flash floods in some parts.

An investigation into how the sinkhole occurred has begun, Sky News reports.

Scary CCTV footage captured the moment the woman fell into the sinkhole.

Concerns were allegedly raised last year about a sinkhole forming in the same area, but Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa claimed that the authorities fixed the issue at the time.

Speaking about today's ongoing ordeal, Mohd said, as per Malaymail: "We are conducting the search and rescue effort in stages as Indah Water Konsortium has their plan and there is swift water flow there.

"I’m informed that if water is closed, a flood will occur here so we need a strategy with the advice from the Fire and Rescue Department."

UNILAD has contacted the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department for comment.