Sciency Thoughts: Kuala Lumpur

Showing posts with label Kuala Lumpur. Show all posts

Friday, 29 November 2019

Sinkhole swallows car in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A car was trapped in a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday 24 November 2019. The incident happened at about 11.35 pm local time, in the Kampung Attap area of the city, when part of the road collapsed beneath the front of the moving car, trapping both the vehicle and the forty-two-year old woman driving it. The car was eventually winched out of the hole, apparently only having suffered minor damage to its front bumper.

Car trapped in a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 24 November 2019. Adinda Qilla Apmkl/Facebook.

Sinkholes are generally caused by water eroding soft limestone or unconsolidated deposits from beneath, causing a hole that works its way upwards and eventually opening spectacularly at the surface. Where there are unconsolidated deposits at the surface they can infill from the sides, apparently swallowing objects at the surface, including people, without trace.

Workers inspecting a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before repairs can be attempted. BBX Press.

On this occasion geologist Nor Bakhiah Baharim of the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu has suggested that the hope appeared due to the erosion of limestone beneath the road, a substrate that underlies much of the city, and suggested that sinkholes may be a problem in the area if buried water pipes leak or burst, and that extra care should be taken in installing such pipes in areas built on limestone.

Tuesday, 30 August 2016

Worker dead after landslide at Kuala Lumpur construction site.

One worker is being treated for injuries and another has died following a landslide in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday 30 August 2016. The incident happened in the north of the city slightly before 4.00 pm, following a period of heavy rain. Neither of the men has been named, though the dead man has been identified as a Bangladeshi national and the injured man as a 28-year-old Malaysian.

The scene of the 30 August 2016 Kuala Lumpur landslide. The Coverage.

Malaysia has become increasingly landslip-prone in recent years due to extensive deforestation, which leaves soil exposed to heavy tropical rainfall. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. August is one of the driest months in Kuala Lumpur, where the monsoon season lasted from October to March, however the city has a wet tropical climate, and heavy storms can happen at any time of year.

Wednesday, 3 July 2013

Three construction workers killed in landslip at Kuala Lumpur construction site.

Three construction workers have been killed and another suffered a broken leg when they were buried in a landslip at a construction site in Ukay Perdana on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpa at about 11.00 am local time (3.00 am GMT) on Wednesday 3 July 2013. The deceased men have been described as Myanmar nationals, while the injured man is apparently from Bangladesh. Two other workers were dug out unharmed at the site.

Rescue workers at the Ukay Perdana construction site. Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia.

Malaysia has become increasingly landslip-prone in recent years due to extensive deforestation, which leaves soil exposed to heavy tropical rainfall. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. However Kuala Lumpur has been suffering from unseasonably dry weather in recent weeks (which has made problems caused by smoke from burning forests in neighboring Sumatra much worse), so this is unlikely to have been the case in this instance.

Local authorities are blaming the incident on negligence by contractors at the site, who were carrying out slop stabilization work (implying it was known the slope was unstable) but failed to clear the area of other workers. The Ampang Jaya Municipal Council has issued a stop order on work at the site while a full investigation is carried out.

The location of the Ukay Perdana landslip. Google Maps.

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