Alarm over Ipoh sinkholes

IPOH - Several sinkholes, between three and five metres in diameter and three metres deep, have appeared in Jalan Hasan near Lim Garden here.

The latest sinkhole, the third in less than a week, appeared in front of SK Tarcisian Convent yesterday, which almost caused a 59-year-old his life.

Lorry driver Teoh Wooi Boon had parked his one-tonne lorry by the side of the road, in front of the school, to answer a phone call when a sinkhole suddenly appeared.

The gaping hole "swallowed" the front passenger tyre, which resulted in the lorry tilting to its side.

A visibly shaken Teoh said he got out of his vehicle to check and was shocked to see the sinkhole, which was five metres in diameter and three metres deep, the biggest sinkhole spotted in the city.

"It all happened so fast. I am lucky to have escaped unhurt. I dread to imagine what would have happened if my lorry had fallen into the sinkhole."

Checks by the NST showed that there was a sinkhole within the school compound and another just a stone's throw away.

Construction work is ongoing for an extension of the school at an adjacent plot of land.

An Ipoh City Council spokesman believed the sinkholes could have appeared due to piling works for the school extension project, which began two days ago.

"I have spoken to the contractor c and all piling works will stop with immediate effect.

"We will also cordon off the affected areas and rope in experts, including geologists, to help us determine the cause behind the emergence of the sinkholes," he said, adding that it would come out with a report soon.