Search continues for two missing teenagers in El Confital

Various emergency resources and military personnel have been searching for two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, missing since Friday night in the vicinity of El Confital Beach in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. They were last seen late in the evening, as reported by sources from the city's emergency services. The leading hypothesis being considered is that they were caught off guard by a strong wave, which dragged them into the water.

The two youths went to an area called La Hondura, near the military zone, to go fishing on Friday morning. One of their mothers contacted a friend who often accompanied them as they didn’t return home at all during the day, which was very unusual. The friend went to the place he and his friends normally go fishing at around 3:00pm on Friday, and found fishing rods and mobile phones abandoned on the floor.

He immediately alerted the military close by, and subsequently, at 8:00pm, firefighters were activated as the youths could not be located. They searched the area around the lighthouse and deployed a drone to look for them, but they were not found.

The search operation, in progress since Friday night, involves a team of firefighters, military personnel from the La Isleta base, the Air Force Search and Rescue (SAR) Service, Local Police, and Maritime Rescue personnel.

Searches were conducted all day yesterday (Saturday) in an area deemed "extremely dangerous," and the adverse sea conditions, for which there are active weather warnings, has hindered their efforts. This location has witnessed similar tragedies before, as in November last year, a fisherman fell into the sea, and his body has yet to be found.

The Fire Department's drone unit, which was withdrawn late last night, has been reactivated this morning. At the same time, the Guardia Civil has redeployed a maritime search team. Since early Saturday morning, the Special Underwater Activities Group has been diving along the coast, actively searching in the area known as La Hondura, and their search also continues this morning.