A schoolboy has gone missing in the sea off the coast of France on what was believed to be the first day of his family holiday.
Searches are continuing for the 16-year-old, who has not been named, who disappeared while swimming close to the town of Messanges, in the Landes department, south of Bordeaux.
He was last seen desperately trying to get back to the beach on the isolated stretch of coast, after getting into difficulty while swimming with his father, reports the Telegraph.
They were swimming some 150 metres off the beach in an unsupervised area where coastguards regularly pitch warning flags.
The coastguards spokesman said that the stretch of coast was "extremely dangerous" because of the fast currents and strong winds.
The boy, a sibling, and his mother and father were reportedly on the first day of their summer holiday, having just checked into the Vieux-Port camp site close to Messanges.
