Fire and rescue department operations officer Mohd Sufian Yakob said the first body was found at 1pm, while the bodies of the two women were recovered at 1.20pm and 2pm.

He said they were found about 2-5km from the spot they were reported missing after being swept away by strong currents following the incident.

He added that the search and rescue operation was launched at 9am today and covered a radius of 5km.

Yesterday, Bentong district police chief Zaiham Mohd Kahar confirmed that they had received reports on the disappearance of five people in an incident at a village in Telemong.

Earlier, Telemong volunteer fire brigade chairman Lai Wah Foong said the route to the scene was impassable following a landslide on the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway.