British schoolboy feared drowned off coast of France He and his father had found themselves in difficulty quite a way out to sea, but the boy was unable to get back to the shore. We immediately scrambled a patrol boat and three helicopters, but the boy has not been found. It is feared that he has drowned. The coastguards spokesman said that the stretch of coast was "extremely dangerous" because of the fast currents and strong winds. At the time of the accident the weather was good, and the swell was less than one metre high, but there was a "very strong" tide, said the spokesman. The boy, a sibling, and his mother and father were on the first day of their summer holiday, having just checked into the Vieux-Port camp site close to Messanges. The Foreign Office issued a statement on behalf of the Knight family requesting privacy. On Wednesday 24th July, while holidaying with his family on the Atlantic coast in South West France, Kieran Knight, aged 16, got caught by a strong undercurrent and was unable to make his way back to shore. Despite extensive ongoing searches by the French authorities, Kieran has not been located. Kieran's family would like to request privacy at this time to come to terms with this tragic event concerning their much loved son. The family was said to be receiving counselling as they assisted with the search efforts.