KOTA KINABALU: Three people drowned while three others are still missing after being trapped in a water surge incident while trekking in Sabah’s east coast Lahad Datu district on Sunday (May 5).

They were part of a group of 17 who were caught in a water surge while trekking in the Mak Sina valley in Makuau beach at about 8pm Sunday.

Rescuers had earlier brought nine people to safety while two other members of the group, who were injured, managed to escape on their own.

Lahad Datu Fire and Rescue station chief Sumsoa Rashid said they were alerted to the incident at 8.28pm.

A team was rushed to the location, located some 56km from the district station, adding that they arrived at the scene at 9.36pm.

“The group was trapped on the other side of a river due to a water surge incident (a gush of water suddenly running through the river) while on a trekking excursion,” he said, when contacted on Monday (May 6).

The injured duo had made the distress call, he added.

“We managed to rescue nine people but later we found three bodies under a pile of wood at 1.37am and efforts are underway to retrieve the remains,” Sumsoa said.

He said, however, they have yet to ascertain the identities of those who died, adding a search and rescue mission is on for the trio still missing.

The nine people who were rescued comprised six men and three women, he said, adding they were brought out from harm’s way at midnight.

He said the two injured trekkers were given initial treatment by the department’s Emergency Medical Response Services (EMRS) unit before being handed over to the police for the next course of action.

“The operation was postponed at 1.40am due to unfavourable weather before being resumed at 6am (on Monday),” he said.

Sumsoa said the police as well as the Civil Defence Force (APM) and the state Forestry Department were also involved in the search efforts.