A body has been found in the search for a 15-year-old boy who was swept to sea off the coast at a popular Welsh beach.
The boy from Yorkshire, who was on a family holiday, went missing on August 30 after entering the sea at Marloes Sands, Pembrokeshire, along with his brother and father.
All three were swept away, but his father and brother managed to scramble back to shore before a massive rescue operation was launched for the boy, who was believed to have hit his head.
Despite efforts from emergency services including the RNLI, HM Coastguard and police, the search was called off two days later.
However, police have now confirmed that a body has been found, ten days after he went missing.
In a statement, Dyfed-Powys Police said: ‘Sadly, we can confirm that a body has been found during the search for a 15-year-old boy who was reported to have gotten into difficulty at Marloes Sands, Milford Haven on Sunday, August 30.
‘Next of kin have been informed, and our thoughts are with them at this time.’
The alarm was first raised at 3pm on August 30 when the family got into difficulties in the choppy waters.
Police pictured at Marloes Sands, Pembrokeshire, after the 15-year-old boy got into difficulty in the waer
Marloes Sands is a popular beach in west Wales, though rocks beneath the surface of the water are reported to make swimming hazardous at times
Mandy Jones, who witnessed the events unfold, said: ‘I was walking on the sand when I saw the lifeboat and we were told a teenager was missing.
‘The waves were quite big and powerful, it was an incoming tide with onshore winds.
‘People on the shoreline made a line with us to spot the boy – we were desperate but saw nothing.’
Locals in the nearby village of Dale reported hearing search helicopters circling overhead for hours throughout the evening.
One resident confirmed aircraft had been searching for up to four hours.
Speaking at the time, a spokesperson for HM Coastguard said it received a report of three people in difficulty in the water and requiring assistance at Marloes, Pembrokeshire.
The spokesperson said: ‘Two of the three people self-rescued and one person remains unaccounted for.’
Marloes Sands is a popular beach in west Wales, though rocks beneath the surface of the water are reported to make swimming hazardous at times.
