Emergency personnel were searching for two 17-year-old boys reported missing in the waters off Ocean Beach late Saturday afternoon.
The teens were reported missing in the waters around 4:30 p.m. near Lincoln Way and the Great Highway. They were apparently wading either knee-deep or waist-deep in the waters with friends when they may have been swept out, said Jonathan Baxter, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Fire Department.
Three other teenage boys — two 18-year-olds and a 17-year-old — who had been with the missing boys were taken to UC San Francisco hospital in stable condition, Baxter said.
San Francisco fire officials deployed rescue swimmers and boats to look for the missing teens, and the U.S. Coast Guard flew its helicopter over the area.
The teens were still missing as of 7 p.m. Baxter said rescue personnel would remain at the beach “for the long haul” to search for the teens, who are possibly from Vallejo. Their friends reportedly told emergency personnel that the missing boys are not good swimmers.
Baxter said swimmers must remain vigilant when at Ocean Beach, because the waves are strong enough to pull an adult wading ankle-deep into the waters. A high surf advisory was not in effect Saturday, however.
Fire officials suspended their search around 9 p.m. Saturday.
