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OCEAN BEACH, Calif. - A search has been called off for two 17-year-old boys who are presumed drowned at Ocean Beach.
The pair went into the waist-deep water with three other boys at about 4:20 p.m. Saturday when the currents caused all five boys to be in distress, fire officials said.
The boys, all from Vallejo, had locked arms because some of the boys were unable to swim. Three of the boys, all 18, made it safely ashore, but the two 17-year-olds disappeared into the surf.
The U.S. Coast Guard spent most of Saturday evening searching a wide area by helicopter and by sea, but called off the search when darkness fell.
Several family members showed up at the beach, and were escorted onto the Fire Department’s Mobile Command Unit, where they were told the tragic news.
“I have already talked to the family and we have told them what our course of action will be... which is to suspend the search,” said Captain Gregory Stump of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Stump added that there were no plans to resume a search in the morning, given that the boys were presumed drowned.