Josue and Jefferson Perez: Search for missing twin boys, 13, who were swimming off Texas beach disrupted by fog
GALVESTON, TEXAS: A Texas family is desperately searching for their missing twin 13-year-old boys who vanished in chest-deep water at a beach in Galveston. Josue and Jefferson Perez had traveled from their Houston home to spend a day at the beach on Sunday, March 5. Despite being unable to swim, the twins were last seen wading in the water near the Pleasure Pier, around 20 yards from the shore.
However, in the blink of an eye, both the boys swiftly vanished from the water striking fear among their family. Terrifyingly no one from the family witnessed the boys going underwater, the relatives were only alarmed after the boys went missing. Galveston search and rescue teams are eagerly looking for the boys but their efforts are being battered by treacherous weather conditions.
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'Parents briefly lost sight of them!'
The Galveston County Community Emergency Response Team, Beach Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, and volunteers have been relentlessly searching for the boys throughout Sunday night. Galveston search and rescue teams searched the area with helicopters and jet skis but there have been no signs of Josue and Jefferson Perez. Officials claim the rip currents around the pier can be strong, adding the sea temperature was a chilly 67F.
"Nobody confirms seeing them go underwater," said Lt. Austin Kirwin with Galveston Beach Patrol. "So essentially what happened is they were out in the water, the parents briefly lost sight of them, and they looked back up into that area, and they did not see them any longer," according to Daily Mail. Divers are also assisting the Galveston search and rescue teams in finding Josue and Jefferson Perez.
'It's about 67F!'
However, Kirwin noted their rescue attempt is being hampered by the weather conditions. "The real limiting factor for us right now is this fog rolling in," he said at a press conference on Monday. "That's going to inhibit us from being able to search as well as we want to," Kirwin said. "Also, the water is still relatively cold. It's about 67F this morning, so without a wetsuit, the length of time you can be in that water is diminished."
He also noted that the waters swirling around jetties and the Pleasure Pier were dangerous because of strong currents that can create rips. "In the event that you do get caught in a rip current, the key point is, do not panic," he said. "If you just relax and try to keep your calm, the current will eventually bring you back to shore. The main killer in drownings is that panic mode."