Kasaragod: An 18-year-old boy with autism is feared dead after being swept away in the sea off Kandukolake beach in Manjeshwar on Vishu evening, despite frantic rescue efforts by beachgoers, fishermen and fire and rescue teams.

Mohammed Zainul Abid (18), the second child of Rasina and Umarul Farooq, an Islamic scholar and Samastha leader of Chowki in Manjeshwar, went missing after he was caught in strong waves while playing on the beach with his elder sister and younger brother.

The family had planned an evening outing to the beach on Wednesday. An autorickshaw had dropped the children first and returned to pick up their parents. The siblings were playing on the beach when the incident occurred. According to eyewitnesses, the elder sister and younger brother were holding Abid’s hand, but he broke free and ran towards the water, where he was caught in a sudden surge.

Aboobacker Siddik, a painter from Kadambar, who was at the beach with friends, rushed in when he noticed the siblings struggling in the sea.

“I went to the beach with my two friends because it was Vishu. Around 200 metres away, I saw two persons flapping their hands and crying out. We ran to their rescue,” said Siddik, who managed to pull the two siblings to safety. 

“I caught hold of Abid too… but another strong wave hit us and separated us,” he said. 

Abid was then swept further into the sea. “We searched the sea for 30 minutes on our own. But could not find him,”

Siddik said, adding that there was no one else at the spot at the time, including the parents. “Then we went to get help,” he said.

At 5.27 pm, the Uppala Fire and Rescue Station received the distress call. A team led by Station Officer Rajesh Kumar reached the spot and launched a search operation along with residents. The search continued till 8 pm, and resumed with lights to go on till 1.30 am on Thursday. Members of the local fishing community also joined the effort, venturing into the sea in their boats to scan the nearby sea. 

“We couldn’t find him,” a rescue officer said. Search operations are continuing.