DUNGUN: Two siblings are feared to have drowned while with two of their friends in Sungai Beril, Paka, on Sunday morning (May 24).
Paka Fire and Rescue Station chief, Assistant Superintendent Mohd Rizuan Ramli, said the two brothers, Muhammad Amir Ashraf Mohd Zulnaidi, 15, and Muhammad Aidil Amsar Mohd Zulnaidi, 14, from Kampung Kolam here, were believed to have been swept away by the current while in the river at 11am.
He said his party received an emergency call at 11.19am, before machinery from the Paka Fire and Rescue Station arrived at the location six minutes later.
Mohd Rizuan said that before the incident, the four students had come to the river at 10.30am.
"However, two victims managed to escape, while two others are believed to be missing in the river and search operations are underway," he said when met at the scene here on Sunday.
Mohd Rizuan said the two brothers were students at the SMKA Durian Guling Secondary School (SMKA), near here.
Meanwhile, he said the two teenagers who survived the incident were Muhammad Farish Iqbal Cik Mohana Runasdi, 14, and Muhammad Afi Naashif Adli Noone, 15.
The search and rescue operation, he said, involved 15 members from Paka with assistance from Kerteh and the Water Rescue Team from Chukai.
"The fire brigade is conducting a search around the riverbank, while the rescue team has also been mobilised for diving operations to locate the victims who are still missing," he said. – Bernama
