Two young men from Kottayam district went missing after being swept away by strong waves while bathing in the sea near Kallinkal close to Bekal on Sunday evening.

The missing youths have been identified as Avijit (20) and Appu Abraham (20). They were part of a four-member group that had arrived in Bekal to visit the beach.

After visiting the beach, the group went for a swim in the sea near Kallinkal. During the bath, Abhijith and Appu were caught in strong currents and were swept away by the waves.

According to witnesses, the two youths were last seen near Red Moon beach around dusk.

On receiving information about the incident, personnel from the Bekal Coastal police and local residents rushed to the spot and launched a search operation, but could not trace the missing persons.