Fears grow for missing 13 year-old twin brothers who BOTH vanished while swimming off Texas pier
Fears are growing over the disappearance of the 13-year-old twin brothers who BOTH disappeared from the waters of a Texas pier on Sunday, as rescuers warn the chances of the brothers, who cannot swim, surviving in 67F waters are slim .
- Josué and Jefferson Pérez, 13-year-old twins, were last seen Sunday wading through chest-deep water 20 yards offshore near Galveston’s Pleasure Pier.
- The couple, who can’t swim, only moved to the area in November and were visiting the coast from their family home in Houston.
- Rescuers have warned that rip currents can build up near the pier and say the waters are a chilly 67F, reducing chances of survival.
A Texas family is hoping for a miracle after twin 13-year-old boys disappeared Sunday on a beach in chest-deep water where they were wading despite not knowing how to swim.
Josué and Jefferson Pérez had traveled from their home in Houston to spend a day at the Galveston beach.
The children were last seen around 4:30 p.m. Sunday playing in the water near the Pleasure Pier, about 20 yards from shore.
Rip currents around the pier can be strong, authorities said, and the sea temperature was 67F.
No one in the family saw them go under the water, but after they disappeared, the relatives raised the alarm.
Twin brothers Josué and Jefferson Pérez, 13, were last seen around 4:30 p.m. Sunday near the Pleasure Pier in Galveston wading through chest-deep water 20 yards from shore.
Police are seen assisting in the search after dark Sunday night. The children have still not been found, 24 hours after they went missing.
Galveston search and rescue teams scoured the area using helicopters and jet skis, but the children have yet to be found.
“No one confirms seeing them go under water,” said Lt. Austin Kirwin of the Galveston Beach Patrol.
“So, essentially, what happened is they were in the water, the parents briefly lost sight of them, looked over to that area, and didn’t see them anymore.”
The Galveston County Community Emergency Response Team, Beach Patrol, US Coast Guard and volunteers have been searching for the twins since 5:30 pm Sunday night. Divers are also helping the teams.
Kirwin said weather conditions are hampering the search.
“The real limiting factor for us right now is this fog,” he told a news conference on Monday.
Lt. Austin Kirwin, of the Galveston Beach Patrol, said the waters were cool and rip currents were common in the area.
Rescuers are still hoping to find the children alive in the water or on the shore.
The Pleasure Pier in Galveston is a popular tourist site, and from March 11 there will be lifeguards on the beach.
That will prevent us from searching as well as we want.
Also, the water is still relatively cold. It’s around 67F this morning so without a wetsuit the amount of time you can be in the water decreases.
He noted that the waters that swirled around objects being thrown into the sea, such as jetties and the Pleasure Pier, were dangerous, because strong currents can create rips.
“In case you do get caught in a rip current, the key point is don’t panic,” he said.
‘If you just relax and try to stay calm, the current will eventually carry you back to shore.
‘The main killer in drowning is that mode of panic.’
Lifeguards will be on the beach from March 11, when the main bathing season begins.