[UPDATED] Sungai Pertak water surge: Four more victims found dead

KUALA KUBU BARU: Four more victims of the water surge at Sungai Pertak were found dead this morning, bringing the death toll to five out of the eight people swept away by strong currents.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director Ashrul Riezal Asbar said three victims were found trapped near Jambatan Senget, close to the Sungai Luit campsite around 9.20am.

"Another victim was found near the same area at 10.20am, about 1.2km from the incident site.

"Search and rescue (SAR) personnel are working to retrieve all the victims," he said.

Earlier, a 36-year-old local man was found dead near Jambatan Pertak around 1.30am today. The victim was identified as V. Vijiyan.

Ashrul Riezal said the SAR operation resumed this morning, with the search area divided into four sectors.

"Sector A covers the area from Lata Jebus to Lubuk Pertak, while Sector B stretches from Lubuk Pertak to Jambatan Dam.

"Sector C covers the Jambatan Dam area, while Sector D covers the dam area," he said.

In yesterday's incident, eight people were reported swept away by strong currents following a water surge at several locations along Sungai Pertak.

The missing victims comprised a Yemeni, four Indian nationals, a Nepalese, a Sri Lankan and a local man.

Apart from those swept away, several groups of visitors were also reported stranded at Lata Jebus, Sungai Luit Camp and Gunung Rajah.

The SAR operation involves the Fire and Rescue Department and several other rescue agencies, with a combined strength of 91 personnel.