Three brothers drown in Sungai Golok

In the 4pm incident which occurred about 100 metres away from the house of the victims' aunt, Muhammad Zulhilmi Aziz, 7, Muhammad Syahmi, 6, and Muhammad Irfan Syahmi, 4, had been swept away by the river current and drowned.

Rantau Panjang Fire and Rescue Station chief, Nasuha Fahd Ahmad Mijar said eight rescuers were rushed to the scene after receiving a report from a villager.

"The body of Muhammad Syahmi was however found by villagers at 5.20pm, Muhammad Irfan Syahmi at 5.30pm and Muhammad Zulhilmi at 5.50pm," he said when met at the scene of the incident.

Nasuha said the three bodies were then sent to Lati Hospital, in Pasir Mas, and expected to be buried on Tuesday morning at the Kampung Rahmat Muslim cemetery.

The victims' uncle, Abdul Manaf Abdul Rahman, 39, said he was at a nearby shop when he was informed by another nephew that the three were missing while bathing in the river.

"I and a friend rushed to the river bank and found three pairs of slippers belonging to the victims. I then dived into the river to search for the three brothers.

"After about one hour, I found the first victim at a spot about three metres deep before finding the other two nearby," he said.

Abdul Manaf said the three boys were left with one of his siblings as their mother, Nur Asyikin Abdul Rahman, 41, was attending a training workshop at the Cempaka Sari Kemas kindergarten in Gual Sintok, Pasir Mas.