KUALA LUMPUR, July 27: Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd, the owner of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), said it would be conducting a detailed investigation into the sinkhole that had appeared on the Bentong stretch of the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (KLK) on Tuesday, July 25.
This comes following reports that works on the ECRL could have triggered the sinkhole. A possible tragedy had been averted as there were no vehicles on the road at the time the sinkhole appeared as MRL’s contractors had issued a precaution ahead of the incident.
In a report Wednesday, New Straits Times said the KLK operator, Anih Bhd, was alerted to close a section of the dual-carriageway near the Bentong toll plaza after soil movements were detected in the vicinity yesterday. According to the report, the ECRL’s tunnel monitoring system detected soil settlements in the vicinity and had alerted Anih to close the affected area to traffic.
In a statement today to update on the reopening of the affected KLK, MRL said that upon further investigation, it found that “there were no signs of stress or collapse of the ECRL tunnel structure located beneath KM-61 of the KLK.
“We would like to specifically highlight that the ‘Bentong Tunnel 2’ has remained intact despite the sinkhole incident. It is important to note that the tunnel is structurally safe for construction works to resume. We will continue to prioritize safety awareness and identify potential hazards at the work site.
“Furthermore, we want to clarify that the soil settlement at the tunnel face area, which occurred on Tuesday (25 July) evening, was an isolated incident and has since been rectified.”
MRL said it will also provide the findings and proposed recommendations, if any, as a result of the investigation.
“We are maintaining constant communication with the relevant authorities regarding the sinkhole incident and are fully committed to cooperating with them to ensure the safety of all parties involved.”
— WE
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