Two teens in the surf at San Francisco's Ocean Beach were swept out to sea and believed to have drowned. A frantic search for them was called off Saturday evening, the
San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The boys were identified by friends and relatives to
KTVU as Wayne Ausa, 17, and Grisham Duran, 16, both students at nearby Vallejo High School.
The Chronicle said Ausa and Duran ran into the surf with three other boys Saturday afternoon. Their arms were all linked together, but a large wave broke them apart, reported
KPIX-TV.
The other boys – two 17-year-olds and one 18 – were rescued and were listed in stable condition at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center on Saturday, said the Chronicle.
The San Francisco Fire Department dispatched air- and water-rescue teams while others swept the length of the shoreline in their search for the boys, who were believed to be weak swimmers, said the Chronicle.
KPIX-TV said more than 20 rescue swimmers, two jet skis and a rescue boat were deployed in the search. The U.S. Coast Guard used two 47-foot motorized lifeboats and a helicopter in the search.
"At Ocean Beach, we always have dangerous conditions," San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Jonathan Baxter told KPIX-TV. Baxter added that swimmers must be aware of the ocean's conditions before going out into the water.
Baxter said ankle deep water was strong enough to pull an adult swimmer into the ocean and that emergency personnel have discouraged people from swimming at the beach in the past.
Coast Guard officials told KTVU-TV that the boys' bodies could be miles offshore because of the strong currents.
KTVU said Duran and Ausa were both students in the engineering academy at Vallejo High School. Counseling support will be available for students at the school when classes resume Monday.
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