Recovery search underway for child swept away by wave at Surfside Beach, police say

BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Texas Equusearch said the search for an 11-year-old boy who went missing in the water at Surfside Beach is now a recovery effort.

The family of Joshua Lahai spoke with ABC13, who said 24 hours after he first went missing, they are still waiting for answers

"We don't know exactly what happened. I guess I just want that closure for my mom cause I know this is hard on her," Peter Lahai said.

Surfside Beach Chief of Police Philip Hester said the rescue search for Joshua started minutes after he went underwater at about 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Officials said Lahai was at the beach with his youth football team, playing in the water, when he was washed away by a big wave. The boy's family said they witnessed it, according to Equusearch.

"We would at least want to have that closure of, we have a body. That's the worst, not knowing," Peter Lahai said.

Tim Miller with Equusearch said their search began at 8:30 p.m. and continued throughout the night.

Searchers told ABC13 the boy weighs 80 pounds, which is making it harder for rescue crews to locate him.

The Lahai family told Eyewitness News they didn't understand why the beach was open or why crowds were allowed to gather while the search was going on, but first responders said they don't typically close the beach after a suspected drowning.

The Lahia family said they worry people visiting from out of town won't know to be looking for a missing boy.

"We're just trying to figure out what is going on," Emmanuel Lahai said.

Police said DPS, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office are helping in the search.