Lifesaving teams from across the coast are searching for a 17-year-old boy who went missing off Umdloti Main Beach yesterday afternoon (December 17).

The teen, believed to be local to Umdloti, was swimming with two others when all three got into difficulty in the surf zone near the Umdloti tidal pool.

“eThekwini lifeguards rescued two bathers, both males aged 18 and 19, from the water,” said NSRI Durban station commander Etienne van Zyl, adding that lifeguards called for assistance at 3.47pm.

Rescue craft from both NSRI Durban and Ballito’s NSRI Station 41 were launched to assist in the search for the missing teen.

They were joined by NSRI rescue swimmers and vehicles, Saps, Netcare 911 ambulance services and Durban Metro Police Search and Rescue, who responded alongside eThekwini lifeguards and Marshall Security officers.

“Extensive sea and shoreline search efforts, including free-diving search efforts by eThekwini lifeguards and an NSRI rescue swimmer, as well as shoreline patrols, revealed no sign of the missing teenager,” said Van Zyl.

“Police divers from Water Policing and Diving Services (WPDS), Saps Search and Rescue and Durban Metro Police Search and Rescue, assisted by eThekwini lifeguards, are continuing with ongoing search efforts. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the missing teenager during this difficult time.”

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