KUCHING, May 29 — A search and rescue (SAR) team has been engaged to find three children after they disappeared underwater having jumped into a river near a longhouse in Sibu late this afternoon, a spokesman of the Sungai Merah Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) said.

The three are identified as Trance Gong, 14; Trisha Janggok, 12; and Nurul Syahiera bt Salam, 13, all relatives from the Sungai Nanga Tutus longhouse, near Sibu.

"According to their uncle, the three children jumped into the river, but they managed to swim back to the jetty.

"But when they jumped the second time, they failed to reappear from the fast moving current,” the spokesman said, adding the accident occurred about 4pm.

He said they had followed their uncle to wash clothes at the river.

He said the Sungai Merah Bomba, which received a call about 4.10pm, immediately dispatched eight personnel and a boat to Sungai Nanga Tutus longhouse to search for the three children.

He said the search was called off about 6.20pm due to fast moving currents and fading light.

He added the search will resume tomorrow morning.