Cape Town - Two 13-year-old boys were missing at sea on Sunday, the National Sea Rescue Institute said.
Spokesperson Craig Lambinon said five boys from Elsies River had been swept out to sea on a small floating barge of barrels at the Black River mouth in Paarden Eiland.
"It appears that on realising that they were being swept too far into the sea, about 100m off-shore, they jumped off of the floating barrels to swim to shore but two of the children... disappeared under water while the remaining three children, all aged 14, managed to reach the shore," he said.
He said that despite an extensive sea, air and shore search, the two missing children could not be found.
Police divers and Cape Town Fire and Rescue divers would continue the search on Monday.
The three survivors were taken to hospital in stable condition.
He said the police were trying to find the families of the two missing teenagers.
It was not known where the floating barge had come from and the police took it as part of their investigation.