The Kuzhupilly-Pallathamkulangara beach in Vypeen on Sunday witnessed some tense moments when a section of local residents staged a blockade on the Munambam-Vypeen coastal road alleging that the authorities were showing a lack of concern in finding two youths who had gone missing in the sea.
Ayyappadas and Ashik, both residents of Padam in Vypeen, were taking a bath in the sea on Saturday evening when they were swept away by the waves. The youths had come to the beach along with their relatives. The police said they ventured into the rough sea despite warnings to stay away from the waters.
An extensive search operation was carried out on Sunday by the Coast Guard and the Navy. An interceptor boat was sent by the Coast Guard in the morning followed by a Dornier aircraft and Chetak helicopter. However, they could not find the missing persons.
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The relatives of the youths, who had gathered at the beach from Sunday morning, resorted to protests citing delay in launching the search operation.
The protest lasted for nearly two hours and the crowd dispersed following discussions held with Revenue officials, police and the agitators.