Two 16-year-old boys went missing in the sea off Tharuvaikulam coast near Thoothukudi on Sunday.

They were identified as X. Joshua and M. Manoj Kumar, both residents of Tharuvaikulam.

According to police sources, the two boys along with five of their friends ventured into the sea in a fibre boat on Sunday afternoon. The other boys were identified as A. Periya Raja, 17, A. Raswin, 16, S. Solomon Nithish, 15, A. Vincent, 16, and A. Rainar, 16, all residents of Tharuvaikulam. After travelling about a few hundred metres from the shore, the boat suddenly started to to drift with the wind.

Barring Solomon Nithish, Rainar and Vincent, the remaining boys jumped into the sea believing they could swim back to the shore.

Meanwhile, Solomon Nithish contacted his father over the phone, following which he reached the spot in another boat and rescued the three stranded boys. They then alerted the local fishermen about the four boys who had jumped into the sea. During the search, Periya Raja and Raswin were rescued, while Joshua and Manoj Kumar remained missing. Fishermen and police launched a search for the missing boys.

Published - July 26, 2026 09:06 pm IST