Two teenage tourists have been found on a remote beach on the Greek island of Kefalonia, ending a frantic, hours-long search operation that began after they disappeared while swimming.
The two boys, aged 16 and 18, were reported missing from the popular Petani Beach after their parents found their personal belongings left on the sand as night began to fall.
The discovery prompted a large-scale search involving the Hellenic Coast Guard, local police, firefighters, and civilian volunteers.
A helicopter and private boats, including local fishing vessels, also joined the effort, which grew more urgent with the approaching darkness and the knowledge that the area lacked a mobile phone signal.
The search ended when the crew of a private yacht spotted the two teenagers on the isolated Agia Eleni beach, some distance from where they were last seen.
Authorities reported that the boys were exhausted and shaken but otherwise in good health.
They told their rescuers they had been waiting anxiously on the beach, hoping to be found. The successful rescue brought an end to a tense evening for their families and the local community