Body of missing swimmer, 15, found near Zandmotor beach

People walking along a Zuid-Holland beach on Sunday morning found the body of a young swimmer who had disappeared along the Dutch coast. Police said the remains were those of the 15-year-old boy from The Hague who went missing on Friday evening.

The teenager had been swimming with two friends at the Zandmotor beach on a day where warnings were issued for rip currents in the North Sea. “Around 7.30 pm they got into trouble because of the strong current,” police said.

Someone on the beach spotted the three struggling, and notified emergency services. A large search began with five rescue organizations participating.

The two friends were rescued, one of whom was transported to a hospital. The third disappeared under the water at around 7:50 p.m., the Haaglanden security office said on Friday.

Dozens of volunteers formed a long human chain into the sea to try to save the boy, and rescuers worked into the night, finally calling off the search about three hours later because of darkness. “The search resumed on Saturday, 1 August, but unfortunately this did not result in find him,” police said.