Fire and rescue department director-general Nor Hisham Mohammad said the blockage was discovered about 44m from the sinkhole after two water drum release tests were conducted on the first and second day of the search efforts at both the sinkhole site and Wisma Yakin.

He was quoted by Bernama as saying that if the blockage,  composed of cooking oil bottles, tyres, solidified fat and clumps of hair, was cleared, it could create a pressure of up to 100 cubic metres which could endanger the divers.

However, he said the SAR team had begun to clear the obstruction blocking the water flow in the sewer pipe at 5pm today by removing the debris bit by bit.

Nor Hisham said if the blockage could be cleared, the entire surface inside the sewer pipe would be visible, allowing the divers to carry out their search for the victim.

He said that as of midnight yesterday, the team closed off part of the drainage and redirected some of the incoming flow to lower the water level in the sewer line.

“Tonight, we will repeat last night’s procedure. Once the water level is reduced, we will use high-pressure jets from Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd. Only if the conditions are safe will the divers proceed, and further steps will be taken,” he said.

He said every diver was equipped with full scuba gear to mitigate risks, including exposure to toxic gases.

Present at the press conference was Dang Wangi police chief Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman.

Yesterday, another smaller sinkhole was reported in the area about 50m away.

Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said there was no need to declare the area unsafe or a disaster zone.