Fears for teen missing at sea

Jul 26 2009 by Sam Wood, Sunday Sun

A MASSIVE search operation was ongoing off the North Tyneside coast last night, after a teenager went missing while swimming.

The coastguard was alerted to the incident just after 4pm yesterday, after reports that two swimmers had got into difficulties off the coast at Whitley Bay.

Information about the incident was sketchy last night.

A search and rescue mission involving the RAF from Boulmer, police divers, officers on foot and volunteers from the Cullercoats life boat was launched.

One of the swimmers was found but the other, believed to be an 18-year-old man, remains missing. The coastguard called off the rescue effort shortly before 7pm.

But the police search teams were still in the area last night.

It is believed the two swimmers got into difficulties in strong currents and the search area had to be widened.

There were reports last night that the missing boy had a dog with him.

One of the men involved in the search, from the Cullercoats lifeboat, described what happened.

He told the Sunday Sun: “We received reports of a missing person just after 4pm. Our understanding is that two boys were out swimming and one dived down into the water and never came back to the surface. He was swimming not too far off the shore at Whitley Bay.

“Our information was that the two swimmers were not too far from the coast when they got into difficulties. But the current was strong.

“We launched the lifeboat and searched for a long time but were unable to locate anything and had to call off the search.”