Kasaragod: A multi-agency search operation is continuing for two youngsters from Kottayam, who went missing after entering the sea at Pallikkara Beach Park near Bekal on Sunday evening.

The search, coordinated by the Bekal Coastal Police, resumed at daybreak on Monday after efforts on Sunday night were called off due to poor visibility. The missing youths were Ankith (20), son of Balu of Vazhappally near Cheeramchira in Changanassery, and Appu T Abraham (20), son of Abraham of Pathamuttam in Chingavanam. The two were believed to have been swept away by strong currents while playing on the beach around 5 pm on Sunday.

They were part of a group of four friends, who worked as bartenders. According to the police, one of them had recently worked at a bar in Kasaragod for about 20 days before returning home. At his invitation, the friends came to Bekal by train on Sunday.

Police said the group went to a relatively isolated stretch of the coast, about a kilometre from Red Moon Beach. While two of the friends remained on the beach, Ankith and Appu ventured into the sea. When the pair remained missing for an extended period, their friends alerted a lifeguard stationed nearby. Lifeguards and officers from the Bekal Coastal Police immediately launched a search operation. 

The clothes and other belongings of the missing youngsters were later found on the beach, strengthening suspicions that they had been caught in a strong undercurrent. Despite searches continuing until late Sunday night, no trace of the two was found.

On Monday, the operation was expanded with the participation of the Bekal Police, Thalangara Coastal Police and the Fisheries Department's Marine Enforcement Wing. Coast Guard boats from Mangaluru and Beypore have also been deployed to search offshore waters. Officials said a Coast Guard helicopter could be pressed into service if required.

Relatives and friends of the missing youths have reached Bekal as the search continues. Police said the area where the youths entered the sea was experiencing strong undercurrents and rough waves at the time. Authorities have once again cautioned the public against entering the sea from isolated stretches.