Rip Current Drowning in South Padre Island

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SOUTH PADRE ISLAND – A 17-year-old San Benito boy is dead, after drowning on South Padre Island.

Police say Matthew Cantu was swimming with a friend, when the two got caught in a rip current.

The other teen made it to shore, but Cantu vanished.

The U.S. Coast Guard searched for two hours after he was reported missing. His body was found two miles north of where he was last seen.

“It’s devastating.  That’s something we learn to deal with. We come across this a lot during Spring Break and the summer months. It’s very unfortunate that it happens, but it does happen,” says Captain Gary Wilburn of the South Padre Island Fire Department.

Officials tell NEWSCHANNEL 5 Cantu had been missing for 30 minutes before they recieved the emergency call. They say the best advice is to call immediately when someone goes missing in the water, because it only takes a few minutes to drown.