KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 — The search effort for a missing male teenager who was swept away by strong currents when he and his younger brother, 12, fell into a drain while trying to retrieve a ball in Taman Prima Saujana, Kajang on Thursday has been expanded.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar said the search operation for the 14-year-old victim, from the spot where he was believed to have been swept away downstream, was expanded up to the Sungai Langat junction, covering a four-kilometre radius.

“The SAR operation is also being conducted along a three-kilometre stretch of Sungai Langat using a boat, and a drone is being used to search a further three kilometres (upstream and downstream).

“We are also using the services of the department’s K9 tracking unit, as well as personnel from Kajang, Bangi and Dengkil Fire and Rescue Stations, to monitor the river areas under their jurisdiction,” he said when contacted, adding that the search team is also continuing intensive operations at several locations.

The missing teen’s younger brother was found at 7.47pm on Thursday at Sungai Merbau in Kampung Sungai Kantan, some two kilometres from the incident location, and pronounced dead at Kajang Hospital. — Bernama