KUALA LUMPUR: A woman plunged into an 8-metre deep sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur city centre early Friday after the pavement she was walking on caved in, the authorities said.

The incident happened in Dang Wangi area.

Dang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman said that based on eyewitness accounts, the woman was walking along the pavement when the earth suddenly collapsed beneath her.

The Fire and Rescue Department, which received a distress call early Friday, has said the woman was believed to be an Indian national.

Rescuers have barricaded part of the area and used an excavator to clear the debris in the hole, but there was no sign of the victim yet.

“The search will continue until the victim is found,” Sulizmie said.