Johannesburg – The body of an 18-year-old boy was found during a search and rescue mission on Saturday at the Strand main beach, City of Cape Town said.

Vernon Naude was swept away by a rough rip current on Friday, while attempting to rescue his 13-year-old cousin, the city’s disaster management spokesperson Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said.

“[While] a civilian was surfing at Strand Main Beach he discovered the person floating and fully clothed 300m from the area where the man was reported missing,” Solomons-Johannes said.

The search had resumed on Saturday, after an extensive air, sea and shore search on Friday, yielded no sign of the teen from Eerste River. A missing-persons case had been opened.

The city urged beach goers to be cautious over the weekend, as rough sea conditions associated with rip currents were expected to prevail around the coast.

SAPA