SETIU: 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 DSP Afandi Hussin said the first victim, Nur Amni Insyirah Saiful Tarmizi, 9, was found by the rescue team at 1.08 am, some 800 metres away from the location she was reported missing.

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

"The search and rescue (SAR) operation resumed at 7.45 am today and the final victim who is also the two sibling's cousin, Nurulhasha Humaira Che Mohd Humaizi, 11, was found at 8.15 am, five metres away from the last location all of them were reported missing," he told reporters at the scene.

In the 5.30 pm 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 but 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, Royal Malaysia Police, Civil Defence Force, RELA and villagers ended at 8.40 am.

"The bodies were sent to the Setiu Hospital for post mortem," he said and advised the public to be extra careful and understand the factors of tidal movement at the river estuary to prevent such incidents from happening again.

-- BERNAMA