SETIU (Terengganu): Three children who went missing while out looking for clams with their families at the Sungai Kampung Mangkuk estuary here yesterday evening, were found drowned early today.

Setiu district police chief Afandi Hussin said the first victim, Nur Amni Insyirah Saiful Tarmizi, 9, was found by the rescue team at 1.08am, some 800m away from the location she was reported missing.

“The second body found at 1.47am was that of her seven-year-old brother Muhammad Aryan Faheem, about 1.5km away from the first victim.

“The search and rescue (SAR) operation resumed at 7.45am today. The final victim, Nurulhasha Humaira Che Mohd Humaizi, 11, who is the cousin of the two siblings, was found at 8.15am, 5m away from the last location where all of them were reported missing,” he told reporters at the scene.

In the 5.30pm incident yesterday, three adults and six children were reported to be at the location for a picnic and looking for clams.

However, the water level suddenly increased due to high tide, causing the children to be swept away although three of them were rescued.

Afandi said with the discovery of all the victims, the SAR operation which involved 107 members of the fire and rescue department, police, civil defence force, Rela volunteers corps and villagers ended at 8.40am.

“The bodies were sent to the Setiu Hospital for post mortem,” he said and advised the public to be extra careful of high tides at the river estuary to prevent such incidents from happening again.