Boy swept out to sea on holiday

Medical teams in Spain wait for news of the missing teenager

A 16-year-old boy from Kent is missing in Spain after he was swept out to sea from a beach south of Barcelona.

The boy, from South Darenth, near Dartford, went missing in Salou on Tuesday during a family holiday.

He was with a 14-year-old friend when they got aboard a small abandoned boat washed ashore, which was then swept out to sea by strong winds.

The boat overturned, but a Red Cross launch found no sign of the boy, and was only able to rescue his friend.

Search called off

An air and sea search has been active since early Tuesday evening but officials said it would have to be called off after dark on Wednesday.

The boys were on holiday with their parents when the tragedy happened at Miami Beach, south of the resort of Salou.

Police said the teenager was believed to have been born in Belfast and had only recently moved to Kent.

His name has not been confirmed by the Foreign Office.

British Consulate staff in the resort are liaising with both families involved, and offering any help they may need.